Hot chocolate recipes to warm your winter!

Grab your favourite mug, make yourself a hot chocolate, snuggle up in your cosiest blanket because today is National Hot Chocolate Day! A hot chocolate is not just a drink, it's a warm hug in a mug and we all need something like that, especially in January!

The possibilities of flavours are endless when it comes to hot chocolate. Here are some ideas to take your hot chocolate's to the next level!

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate:

Ingredients:

2 cups of milk.

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder.

2 tablespoons of sugar.

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

A pinch of salt.

2 tablespoons of salted caramel sauce.

Whipped cream and caramel drizzle for topping.

Instructions:

Prepare the classic hot chocolate by combining milk, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.

Stir in the salted caramel sauce until it's fully incorporated.

Heat the mixture until it's hot but not boiling.

Pour into your favourite mug, top with a luscious swirl of whipped cream, and drizzle with extra caramel for a decadent treat.

Gingerbread Spice Hot Chocolate:

Ingredients:

2 cups of milk.

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder.

2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

1/2 a teaspoon of ground ginger.

1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground nutmeg for garnish.

Instructions:

In a saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat.

Whisk in cocoa powder, brown sugar, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon until well combined.

Heat until it reaches your desired temperature.

Pour into mugs, top with a cloud of whipped cream, and finish with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg for a warming kick.

Mint Chocolate Delight:

Ingredients:

2 cups of milk.

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped.

1/2 a teaspoon of peppermint extract.

Fresh mint leaves for garnish.

Instructions:

Heat the milk in a saucepan until it begins to steam.

Add the chopped dark chocolate and peppermint extract, whisking until the chocolate is fully melted.

Pour into mugs and garnish with a few fresh mint leaves for a refreshing twist.

Orange Zest and Dark Chocolate hot chocolate.

Ingredients:

2 cups of milk.

4 ounces of dark chocolate, finely chopped.

Zest of one orange.

2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

Orange peel curls for garnish.

Instructions:

Heat the milk in a saucepan until it begins to steam.

Add the chopped dark chocolate, orange zest, and brown sugar. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Continue heating until the hot chocolate is luxuriously velvety.

Pour into mugs, and garnish with curls of orange peel for a hint of citrusy delight.

Honeycomb Crunch Hot Chocolate:

Ingredients:

2 cups of milk.

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder.

2 tablespoons of honey.

A handful of crushed honeycomb candy.

Whipped cream and extra honeycomb for topping.

Instructions:

Warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk in cocoa powder and honey until well combined.

Add the crushed honeycomb candy and stir until it starts to melt.

Pour into mugs, top with a dollop of whipped cream, and sprinkle extra honeycomb for a delightful crunch.

How do you like your hot chocolate?

Classic mum sayings that have stood the test of time.

When I was a teenager and my mother used to say phrases to me, usually nagging and I always said to myself that I would never, ever say the same things to my children. hahaha That didn't last long. The phrases my mum used to say to me have stood the test of time and when my girls were little I said them and I still say many of the phrases now! 

Because I said so, that's why!

I say this all of the time when I want to end an argument or I don't really have an answer for why I don't want them to have or do something!

Don’t say “what”, say “pardon”.

And usually they look at me blankly and say "what".

If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?

Ellie always says she probably would and I can probably believe it!

I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times.

Yep, I use this all of the time, still. One day the things that I am telling my girls will sink in and I will feel like they actually listen to me.

I want never gets.

And usually they reply with "but please", at least my girls have manners when they really want something.

Money doesn't grow on trees.

Now that Becky is working she understands this, I am sure Ellie still thinks I have a money tree hidden away somewhere.

I don’t care who started it.

I use this at least once a day, my girls always bicker and I really don't care who started it, it ends now! Of course they argue back trying to explain who started whatever the argument was about, trying to get me to take sides.

Go and ask your dad.

And he always says go and ask your mam. lol

Wait until your dad gets home.

I used to say this all of the time when the kids were being naughty, not that their dad coming home would make much difference, he was always the soft one who let them get away with much more than me.

I’ve got eyes in the back of my head.

I think for a long time my girls believed this, literally. lol

I’ll give you until the count of three.

I still don't know what would have happened if I got to three. The threat of getting to three was more than enough to get my girls to stop doing whatever they were doing or start doing what they needed to do. I still use the count of three now, I can't believe the magic of counting hasn't worn off.

One day you’ll have children and you’ll understand.

Won't they just! 

Call me when you arrive so I know you’ve got there safely.

Yes, my girls know to text me when they get to wherever they are going and to text on the way home.

Were you born in a barn?.

When they leave the door open, they look at me like I have lost the plot. 

It’ll all end in tears.

I say this all of the time, my girls like to do silly things which will all end in tears.

I don’t care what so and so’s parents do, I’m not so and so’s mam.

You can parent how you want to, I will parent how I want to. My girls still don't seem to understand that everyone's life is different and what works in one family/household might not work here.

You're not going out dressed like that.

I have definitely said this, not to Becky but to Ellie. She had an outfit on a few weeks ago, a skin tight matching crop top and leggings. It was showing too much skin and I felt so old saying that really isn't appropriate for college.

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

I have always said this to my girls and sometimes their mouths do run away with them but they generally stay positive and say nothing if they don't have anything nice to say.

How can you say you don’t like it if you haven’t tried it?

I still say this to my girls especially if we are trying something new to eat. Becky refused to eat one of our Gousto meals a little while ago because she didn't like the sound of the name of the meal because it had too many words in. Give me strength!

Life isn't fair.

When my girls say "it's not fair" to anything I always say life isn't fair. Oops.

How many have you said to your children? 

Our weekly meal plan! 29th Jan - 4th Feb. #MealPlanningMonday

Last weeks meal plan went well. We ate everything and enjoyed everything! The Gousto meals we had last week were so good. There was a lot of comfort food and it went down so well. The minty lamb & potato stew was so easy to make and just what we needed on a cold, windy day, it's gone onto the list of things that we will be having again! I also impressed myself with the cheesy sauce which went with the Veggie Philly Cheese'steak! How did I not know how to make a cheese sauce before? The girls have said they want the cheesy sauce on every meal that they eat as it was so good. lol

This week looks set to be a good one. Stu booked a couple of days holiday from work, he took 2 days and with his normal days off means he gets 4 days off on the trot. January always seems such a long month so he wanted something to look forward to at the end of it, it's like a reward for getting through the longest month of the year. We don't have anything planned or many jobs to do around the house so he's just going to have some time to relax and maybe sort the garage out. That is his domain and I keep dumping junk in it. Oops. lol

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Stu is cooking. He has said some sort of chicken and pasta dish. Who knows what we will get?

Tuesday - Gousto meal - Curried winter veg soup with parsnip crisps & yoghurt. Parsnips are my favourite vegetable so I am excited about the parsnip crisps.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Tomatoey pork meatball sandwich with chips.

Thursday - Gousto meal - Hoisin Pork Wraps. I am sure we have had this before or something very similar.

Friday - Gousto meal - Classic Hot Dog With Sweet Onions And Cheesy Fries.. 

Saturday - Pizza! The girls have been asking for home made one's so I will make them.

Sunday - Pie and mash.

What are you eating this week?

Week 4 of #Project365 21st - 27th January! A photo every day for a year!

I'm going to say it again January is dragging! It really is the worst month. I've not had the best of weeks but I am feeling better about things now, more positive and a lot less anxious. I think getting out on Friday for most of the day to my dad's and having a long laze in bed yesterday helped. I woke just after 10am and stayed put scrolling through TikTok, it was lovely.

Yesterday was such a nice day. Ellie and I got our meal deal from Tesco, I did some blogging, caught up on the soaps. Then Becky got up from sleeping off a night shift and had a rare Saturday at home. I cooked a Chinese feast which Sweet and sour chicken balls, chicken Chow Mein, Chinese curry, spring rolls, prawn toast and prawn crackers. There was football on the TV and then we had the usual Saturday night TV to watch. It was a good day!

Now for a photo every day!

21/365 - 21st January

We went out for Sunday lunch and will be going again today before the cafe closes for a couple of weeks. Most of the local businesses here are really struggling. The couple of pubs that we have have reduced their opening times and have had to put their prices up and now our favourite cafe is struggling. No one wants to spend money at this time of year or go out as the weather is rubbish, I do hope things pick up for them.

22/365 - 22nd January

We finally got a blind up at our bathroom window, it has been on our to do list for years. Of course the smallest we could find was still too wide so we had to cut it to fit. It's not perfect but it still looks good.

23/365 - 23rd January

Stu found the old Plants V Zombies on his computer and I have been playing it over the last week. I do love that game.

24/365 - 24th January

That bathroom is now finished and it's only taken a year. lol We put some shelves up which were needed since we got the shower put in. I have stressed to the kids not to try and put too much into them.

25/365 - 25th January

I got Ellie and I treat to come with the food shop. Chocolate Orange Yum Yums. They were nice but nothing amazing.

26/365 - 26th January

My dad's little kit car has been off the road since the summer and on Friday he finally got it running again. He was driving it around without the bonnet on which looked so strange but he was so happy, I know nothing about cars but it did sound like it was running well with no grunting or squeaking.

27/365 - 27th January

I got these at Christmas and they looked so fancy. I did chuckle when I opened them, they were basically fruit pastilles. They did taste nice but there wasn't enough of them. lol

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

I try to keep my Word of the Week positive but this week I feel like I have been drowning in anxiety. Life isn't all sunshine and roses and we all can't have a good week every week. I have always been a worrier but usually I can push those feelings to the back of my mind but this week they have come to the front and I have been trying to work through my thoughts and rationalise them.

It all started on Saturday morning, I didn't sleep well and I think it all went downhill from there. I always feel on edge when I haven't had enough sleep and I feel like I haven't slept properly all week because of the weather. As of writing this we have had 2 storms and the wind is another worry for me. I always think that the fences are going to blow down in the back garden and then I will have to deal with our not so nice neighbour. Then there is the worry that it is so windy that the Humber Bridge closes to traffic and Stu can't get to work or most worrying can't get home from work. I have been constantly checking the bridge website and so far it's only been closed to high sided vehicles.

Then we had Monday and the drama with someone with the same name as me contacting other bloggers about guest posts. People assumed it was me as even though they weren't pretending to be me they were using my name which isn't very common. It really stressed me out, I didn't want others thinking it was anything to do with me. I also had a couple of other blogging things going on which on a normal day wouldn't have stressed me out but when it all came at once, in the space of an hour it was just too much. An amazing blogger friend was there at the end of a message offering support and advice, I am so grateful she was there to talk sense to me and even checked in on me on Tuesday then there was the ladies in the blogging groups where I asked for help which reassured me.

Ellie got off to a good start wearing her hearing aids a year ago but over the last 6 months or so she has been wearing them less and less. I nag at her and she will put them in when she leaves the house and then takes them out as soon as she is outside. She can't explain why she doesn't want to wear them apart from she prefers not to. She doesn't like being deaf in one ear but at the same time she went 15 years like that and it's that is what she's used to. We have an appointment coming up with Audiology at the hospital to see how she is getting on and I am dreading it. She's 16 so I can't force her to wear the hearing aids but she's 16 and I feel like the specialists will think I should make her wear them. There's that saying you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink which springs to mind. I need to stop stressing about it, Ellie is doing really well in life without wearing hearing aids, I think I am just going to have to accept we tried and they are not for her despite what the experts might say.

As anxious as I have been I have been looking after myself with having early nights, eating properly, plenty of pampering showers and baths and I've been taking time away from social media and blogging, thank goodness I have been organised with my blogging and had posts scheduled for this week. 

I wrote this yesterday and I am starting to feel more positive and less anxious. I think it was just one of those weeks. We all have them even if we don't always blog about them and share how we are feeling.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one.

What I have loved this week! Week 4. #FridayFavourites

Hello there and happy Friday! I hope you have all had a good week? I am linking up with Erika and Andrea for their Friday Favorites. I started the week thinking that I wouldn't have many favourites with a few things happening which have stressed me out but I have found some things to love this week!

Fantastic bloggers! 

On Monday I had a few dramas with some blogging issues and turned to other bloggers for some help. The main issue I had was that someone with the same name as me was emailing bloggers and asking to work with them, I was so worried people thought it was me as my name is not very common. There were many words of wisdom and lots of support which I am grateful for. It didn't stop me being on the verge of tears for most of the day but I got through it and Tuesday was a new day.

Plants V Zombies.

I used to love playing Plants V Zombies years ago on my computer but after getting a new laptop a couple of years ago I never put the game back on until this week when my fella mentioned that he still had it on his PC. I do love it, it's such a simple game and great to play when you just want to zone out and lose some time.

Finishing decorating the bathroom (Finally).

This time last year I decorated the bathroom, it went from yellow to grey, it was quite the job and took quite a few coats of paint but we love it. It still looks as good as new but there were some final touches that we never got around to doing until this week. We finally got a roller blind and put it up at the window and as we got a shower put in a few months ago we got some shelves put above the bath for the shampoo and shower gel to go in so it's handy to reach.

Sunday lunch out.

The cafe where we like to go to eat has been closed for an extended Christmas break and opened up again last week which meant we went out for a Sunday lunch. They do the best roast dinners, they taste like proper home made food but the bonus is there is no washing up for us to do. I had pork with a ton of vegetables.

Ellie's assessment at college.

Ellie my 16 year old is studying engineering at college and to complete the course she has assessments throughout the year instead of one big exam at the end. For the last few units she has had to resit the tests but this time she passed it first time and didn't just pass, she smashed it with 33 out of 33 marks. I am so proud of her, she isn't always good at revising but this time she really worked hard.

One-Pot Minty Lamb & Potato Stew.

This was a meal from out Gousto box and we loved it which isn't bad considering this time 6 months ago my family wouldn't eat lamb as they thought they didn't like it. After a day of rain and wind we wanted something hearty and warming and this ticked all of the boxes. It was so simple to make lamb mince, carrots, onions, potatoes, tomato paste, beef stock and of course mint sauce! It is going on our list of meals to make in the future. 

My eldest making plans.

Becky is 21 years old and works full time so when she has time off work she does like to do her own thing with her friends. Over the past week she has made some plans for the summer and next week she is booking a little break away. I love that she is able to do that. Of course I would like to spend more time at home but she's spreading her wings and I couldn't be prouder!

What have you loved over the past week?

My top 5 favourite Sport movies.

I wouldn't say I am a big movie buff but I do have a lot of favourite films and I have been listing them for a few months. You can read about my favourite action movies, Sci-Fi movies, my favourite Animated movies and my favourite musical movies and my favourite disaster movies. In the run up to Halloween I shared my favourite scary movies and the week after I shared my not so scary movies which were more up my street for the spooky season and in the run up to Christmas I shared my favourite Christmas movies. This time it is all about my favourite Sport movies! 

I wouldn't say I am a big sports fan but I do love movies about sports, especially these one's.

Cool Runnings!

This is my all time favourite sporty movie. It is loosely based on the debut of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics. 

A Jamaican bobsleigh team fights many odds, including a reluctant coach, to compete in the 1988 Winter Olympics. They train in harsh and sunny climes for a sport that chills them to their bones.

It is one of those films which just makes me happy. It was released when I was at secondary school and everyone was saying all the quotes. Sanka you dead?  I see pride! I see power! I see a bad-ass mother who don't take no crap off of nobody! Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! Cool Runnings!

I, Tonya!

In 1991, talented figure skater Tonya Harding becomes the first American woman to complete a triple axel during a competition. In 1994, her world comes crashing down when her ex-husband conspires to injure Nancy Kerrigan, a fellow Olympic hopeful, in a poorly conceived attack that forces the young woman to withdraw from the national championship. Harding's life and legacy instantly become tarnished as she's forever associated with one of the most infamous scandals in sports history.

The Mighty Ducks!

I remember sleeping over at my friends house in the 90's and we rented The first Mighty Ducks movie. We loved it and were overjoyed when they brought out sequels

Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) is a luckless yuppie forced to do community service after being caught drink driving. His penance is to train one of the worst ice hockey teams in the world. However, while Gordon tries to whip them into shape, he learns from his new team that winning is not always everything.

The 2nd film, D2 - The Mighty Ducks the team goes to the Olympics which was just as good as the 1st film but the third in the series got a little silly and just wasn't the same. 

National Velvet!

An oldie but a goodie! When Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor), an equine loving 12 year old living in rural Sussex, becomes the owner of a rambunctious horse, she decides to train it for England's Grand National race. Aided by former jockey Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney) and encouraged by her family, the determined Velvet gets her steed, affectionately called "The Pie," ready for the big day. However, a last minute problem arises with the jockey and an unexpected rider must step in as a replacement.

I used to love horses and anything about them. I luckily had my own so when this film was on TV my mother suggested that I watched it when I was about 10 years old. Even back then I loved this movie. I haven't seen in for years and will have to see if anyone has it streaming.

Fighting with My Family!

I used to be a massive WWE fan so obviously had to watch a movie about it, another based on a true story!

Born into a tight knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once in a lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone. Paige's journey pushes her to dig deep and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.

You don't really need to know anything about wrestling to enjoy this as it's a relatable story of someone from an unlikely background overcoming the odds to find success far from home.

What are your favourite sport movies?

Trying some Oriental snacks and treats.

When we moved to Scunthorpe my dad would go to an Oriental shop to get curry powder and a few other bits, we always meant to visit but never got around to it until a few weeks ago. We were in town eating lunch and got on about noodles and how Becky and her friend had seen them on TikTok and were going to order them. I said we should try the Oriental shop first and off we went.

Tradewinds Oriental Shop is a family run business in Scunthorpe specialising in providing the finest food and drinks, furniture, and kitchenware from Asia. Established in 1984 they have gone from strength to strength and now sell online too.

Ellie and I just went for a look, not planning on buying anything but we ended up coming away with a bag full of treats.

Lay's Potato Crisps Nori Seaweed Flavour. - £1.75.

They didn't smell anything like you would expect, I expected them to smell like Sushi, really fishy but they just smelled like ready salted crisps. I wouldn't try one at first but eventually did and they did taste like ready salted but with a little something else which was actually quite nice. Ellie loved them and has been back with her college friends for more.

Soba Cup Japanese Curry Noodles - £1.50.

Soba Japanese Curry Instant Wok Style Noodles Pot combines the mouth watering taste of classic Japanese curry with the power of a vegetarian wok style noodle dish. Enjoy the taste of aromatic vegetables expertly balanced with the subtle heat of traditional Asian herbs and spices.

One of Ellie's favourite foods is instant noodles and she seems to love anything to do with Japan so these were a real hit with her and the bonus is we have found them since in normal supermarkets. They smelled and tasted so good.

Hatakosen Orange Flavour Ramune - £1.85

Ellie loves the Japanese Ramune drinks but we have always found them to be so overpriced at at least £3 each so the orange one that she got was a real bargain. The bottles are really unusual, made from glass and sealed by a round marble instead of a cap and I think that is the appeal of the bottles because the orange drink inside just tasted like normal fizzy orange pop. Ellie is now getting quite a collection of the bottles and is washing them out and keeping them as they are so pretty.

Sunwave Japanese Style Assorted Fruit Mochi - £2.25.

A few years ago everyone went crazy for Little Moons Mochi ice cream and that was the first time that I had heard of Mochi. Mochi is a Japanese dessert made of sweet glutinous rice flour or mochigome. Mochi dough is often tinted with food colourings and wrapped around a sweet centre to form a small, bite sized confection with a chewy, smooth, elastic texture.

This came in 3 flavours, passionfruit, plum & pomelo. I had never heard of pomelo before but it is the largest citrus fruit, and an ancestor of the grapefruit. You learn something everyday! The texture is so strange but they tasted so good, not as sweet as I expected but nice all the same.

The shop isn't big but they sell so much and we will be back for more treats when we are in town. Ellie already has a list of new things that she wants to try and I want to try some more of the different flavoured Mochi. Everything seemed reasonably priced and there was so much choice of things.

Do you like Oriental/Asian snacks?

I didn't send you an email.

This wasn't the blog post I have scheduled for today I felt like I needed to rearrange things because of an online drama that I had yesterday. I want to share something that happened so maybe could reassure you that it is a thing or I could be totally wrong and all of this is a massive coincidence and someone does have the same name as me that is in the blogging world.

I will say this now, if you think you got an email from me over the past few days about a blog guest post, you didn't, it wasn't me! 

Over the weekend I got an email from someone called Kim Carberry, yes it was weird as that is my name and I thought my name was pretty unique. The only Carberry's that I know apart from family is an Irish jockey, I think he's retired now. Anyway, the email address was my name with a couple of numbers. It definitely wasn't either of my email addresses that I use or anything close. I didn't think anything of it as my email provider picked up it was spam. The sender was asking if they could share their story as a guest post and it was written by someone who’s first language isn’t English. I know my blog posts are not always grammatically correct but this was something else.

Yesterday I got a message from another blogger asking if I was doing blogger outreach and had contacted them about a guest post. I obviously hadn't and that really worried me! I went straight to a couple of blogging groups on Facebook in a mad panic asking if it seemed someone was pretending to be me and was that even a thing. I always think worst case scenario.

Some very wise bloggers reassured me that a lot of emails about guest posts use fake names. Come to think of it in the over the years I've had emails from Joey Bing, Monica Green, Chandler Green, Ross Buffay and Rachel Bing. (Any friends fans will see the connection. lol) 

I have done security checks on my email and account and everything seems safe from my side, it is just someone trying their luck and like other bloggers have said they could be using my good reputation and name to get goodness knows what as I've been told they are only offering $20 per guest post.

There are no laws about people using your name even if it is an uncommon name. I wouldn't have thought twice if it was a common name like Joanne Smith or Karen Jones and I knew bloggers with those names, they are just common names and nothing to worry about but my name... My biggest worry is that they are actually pretending to be me. I will be reporting it to the police if that is the case. I only found out today that you can report cyber crime through Action Fraud.

It has really got to me. I was on the verge of tears for most of yesterday and just felt sick. I feel violated. I am so worried that people in the blogging world might see the name Kim Carberry and think of me. I did put a couple of posts on social media about this but I don't know how many people have seen them. I'm not a big blogger but I stay out of drama and try to help out others if I can. I wouldn't go emailing random people that I have never really spoken to before and certainly not about guest posts. I am not that type of person. I often feel too shy to message someone about something mundane like extra help with a recipe they've shared or some more information about a day out. I felt sick yesterday asking for help on the FB blogging groups as I generally try to go it alone and muddle through but with this I just couldn't.

I know I don't have to defend myself but out of all the people I spoke to online yesterday most thought it was me emailing them. I wanted to set the record straight. The only email I use for blogging is the one on here on my contact me page and my personal one is one I set up when I was young and stupid which is really embarrassing when I have to give it out to anyone. 

Have you heard of anything like this happening before? Did you get an email from the other Kim Carberry?

Our weekly meal plan! 22nd - 28th January. #MealPlanningMonday

Last weeks meal plan went OK. We ate everything and enjoyed it. The Heinz tomato ketchup filled hash browns were so good but were so filling, we really didn't need 2 each on our plates along with everything else. I cooked the breaded fish for the first time in the air fryer and it was so good, much better than being cooked in the oven.

As much as we enjoyed the food, I didn't enjoy cooking it. There didn't seem much cooking, it was more just putting things in the air fryer or oven. I missed having a Gousto box. At the start of the year I wasn't that inspired with the Gousto recipes, they seemed too healthy with not enough comfort food but this week seems more comforting which is just what we need at this time of year so we're back on the Gousto bandwagon and I have have next weeks meals booked.

We don't have much planned for this week. The normal college for Ellie and she has an assessment which she has been revising hard for and Stu and Becky are at work. This is the week Becky hates where she only gets one full day off between night shifts. The good thing is once she gets through it she gets a weekend off. 

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Ready to fill potato skins from Iceland with mince, onions, mushroom and gravy inside.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - One pot minty lamb & potato stew. My family have decided they like lamb now so I am really looking forward to making this.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Cheesy bean pasty with potato wedges. 

Thursday - Gousto meal - Chicken & coconut Dal with rice and garlic naan.

Friday - Gousto meal - Veggie Philly Cheese'steak' with loaded cheesy chips. The kids are really looking forward to this, they are all about the cheese. 

Saturday - Sweet and sour saucy chicken bites, chicken chow Mein, egg fried rice, prawn toast and salt & pepper chicken spring rolls. All from Iceland.

Sunday - Out for a roast dinner!

What are you eating this week?

Week 3 of #Project365 14th - 20th January! A photo every day for a year!

January is really dragging, it has been cold and I am ready for some warmer weather. It hasn't been a bad week though, the sun has been shining and it has been bright, looking out of the window it could almost pass for a summers day if you ignored the frost, I am back in control of the laundry and I have mastered cooking dippy eggs. lol It has been a pretty good week when I think about it.

Yesterday I didn't have much to do so after the housework was done I had a lazy afternoon and today we're planning on going out for lunch. I have missed having a Sunday lunch out with the cafe which we go to being closed for an extended Christmas break. I cooked a roast dinner a couple of Sundays ago and it was so much effort and then there was the washing up to do. It's nice to have a walk out and have a big meal cooked for us.

Now for a photo every day!

14/365 - 14th January

We finally got a tumble dryer, it took a little while to figure out what the best programme was but we've got it now, the Mix and Dry one. It doesn't take forever and dry's all sorts of materials at the same time. I have emptied the washing basket a couple of times which is usually unheard of at this time of year. I love it!

15/365 - 15th January

Stu and I went for a walk to my dad's and there was still frost on the ground at lunchtime. It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be but I had wrapped up well with layers, my big coat, hat and gloves. 

16/365 - 16th January

Becky's new laptop arrived, finally! It does look vary fancy with the lit up keys. She loves it and even I can see how better the graphics are compared to her old laptop. The only bad thing about it is the noise it makes, the fan is so loud.

17/365 - 17th January

Dippy eggs! I cooked them for the first time in the air fryer and they came out perfectly. Becky had them for breakfast yesterday and Ellie and I decided we wanted them too, we even gave our usual Tesco meal deal a miss for them, they're that good. 10 minutes at 120C.

18/365 - 18th January

I had some vouchers to use up that I got for Christmas and we needed a new toaster, the old one just kept on toasting and wouldn't pop up. I decided to get the matching kettle too.

19/365 - 19th January

I hadn't planned on doing Dry January but here we are. I decided to treat myself to something nice to drink and got these J2O Mocktails. They were quite nice.

20/365 - 20th January

I have started playing Wordle again and have a 14 day streak! Hooray! I used to play it a couple of years ago and it seemed a lot harder. This week apart from yesterday I seemed to be solving them in 3 guesses.

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

It hasn't just been cold it has been freezing but cold is a better word to describe my week. All of those people who say they love winter and can't wait for it in the summer, are you happy now? lol 

I feel so grateful that almost this time last year we got the insulated wall put up in the living room. It really has made such a difference in here, it isn't as cold and when we have the heating on it stays warm. I moved my armchair in front of the living room window before Christmas to make room for the Christmas tree and in previous years I would have been freezing sat here but it's actually OK. I think the new boiler we had put in during the spring has made a difference too. This is the first cold spell in years that we haven't been complaining about being cold when we are inside.

On Monday Ellie came home from college cold as she had lost her coat. She put it on a wall while she was faffing around in her bag and then the bus came, her coat was left. It wasn't an expensive coat, it was a couple of years old, it was more an inconvenience. So she had to borrow one of Becky's coats on Tuesday until I got her a new one delivered. She was due a new one and we got her an Adidas one which ended up being cheaper than a no name one from Sports Direct in their sale.

I have read about people having snow but so far we've had the tiniest snow flakes falling on Monday but nothing has settled. Ellie was hoping for snow, hoping to get a day off college but even if the snow did effect traffic her bus runs on one of the main roads which is always well gritted so I doubt it would be cancelled. 

The coldest room in our house was the kitchen, well it was until we got a tumble dryer on Sunday. I have been catching up on the piles of washing and had the tumble dryer running a lot and it has made the kitchen so warm. I was worried it would make it damp but so far it has been absolutely fine. It feels like a win/win situation. The washing gets done easily and it warms the kitchen up.

One good thing about it being so cold is that it seems to have been sunny and bright. I hate the dark, grey, gloomy days we have been having before this past week but when the sun is shining I have so much get up and go. Don't get me wrong there are times when all I want to do is sit under a blanket with my hot water bottle but if I get up and keep moving I have the motivation to get stuff done. It has been so nice to see blue skies, it makes me feel like warmer days are coming!

For the last week or so I have been waking up each morning feeling like I am getting a cold, that scratchy feeling in the back of my nose and throat and feeling stuffed up. I realised mid-week why! Stu keeps shutting the bedroom window, he gets up during the night feeling cold and shuts it. He doesn't need to, the bedroom is warm enough, I have told him to put some proper pj's on and not just sleep in a t-shirt and shorts. lol 

Yesterday we got the last quarters gas and electricity bill which I was dreading, I always do at this time of year and plus over the last quarter we've had a shower put in so I thought that was going to bump up the cost. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, in fact we paid less this time than compared to this time last year. I feel now we can have the heating on a little bit more, instead of waiting until we're cold to put it on I can put it on before we feel cold.

According to the weather forecast after today the temperatures should rise. If the forecast is to be believed it will be 13 degrees on Tuesday, that's practically summer weather. lol.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one!