I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! I am doing something a little different this week with the things that I have loved, instead of things from the past week I am picking my favourite things from my whole year and to confuse things even more I am posting it on a Sunday, usually today would be my Project 365 blog post but I am saving that until Wednesday so I can finish off the year all in one post and to be honest I wanted to enjoy Christmas with my family so this post was written a couple of weeks ago so I didn't have to worry about blog writing.
TV!
There has been some great TV over the last year, my favourite things that I watched were Squid Game, Stranger Things, All Her Fault, Toxic Town, Apple Cider Vinegar, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, Scamanda, Adolescence, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, The Twister: Caught in the Storm, Paddington in Peru, Doctor Who, American Murder: Gabby Petito, Grey's Anatomy, Nonnas, Ginny & Georgia, Wednesday, The Traitors, The Handmaids Tale, My Oxford Year and of course all of the wrestling!
Painting my nails!
This year I made a point of doing a bit more self care and painting my nails became my little weekly ritual. I’ve been all the colours under the sun. Every now and again I give my nails a rest and it feels so strange not having colour on them. I love how something so small can make you feel a bit more put together even if the rest of my life is falling apart.
Temu!
I hate the idea of Temu but I gave in this year and placed a few orders. I always make sure to pay with Paypal as I have heard horror stories about peoples bank accounts being wiped out but they do sell some fantastic stuff at great prices. I really rate the decorations for special events like birthdays and Christmas and things to do with TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and anything WWE. I have also found them to be cheaper than eBay and Amazon for some things, the delivery takes a few weeks so everywhere else is better for convenience.
The Country Show!
We always have such a great day at the country show that happens near us. It’s one of those proper wholesome days out with the animals, stalls, the smell of chips in the air, someone somewhere selling wooden ducks for no reason. This year the girls had their friends with them so Stu and I had the day to ourselves. We basically wandered around like we were on a day date, pointing at tractors and eating burgers at 10am. We also saw my dad and his partner there with his vintage car. He does love showing it off. Every time I see him with it he has that proud parent face. It’s very cute.
Football!
We have been right into watching the football over the last year. Newcastle United, the team we support did pretty well last season and won the Carabao cup and England's ladies did pretty well too! The Lionesses went and won the Euro's! I am hoping the men's football team does just as well in the World Cup next year.
Lots of family time!
The girls have had a busy year which means there’s been less quality family time so when we have had the chance to be together I’ve grabbed it with both hands. It won’t be long before one or both of them move out and I feel like I’m living on borrowed time having them mostly to myself. We’ve had days out, meals out, movie nights, stay at home and do nothing days and lots and lots of laughs. I love those moments where everyone is in the same room but doing their own thing but it still feels cosy and together. I’ve also spent loads of time with my dad, my brother and his family and I had a fab day out with my dad’s partner at the world’s biggest Primark in Birmingham.
Ellie's new/old bed!
I don’t even know who came up with the idea of shortening Ellie’s bed to give her more room in her bedroom but it happened and it worked! She has a metal bed frame and a couple of inches were chopped off the length and it was all put back together and it's perfect! It sounds dramatic to say it changed her life but it genuinely did. Suddenly her bedroom made sense, she has so much more floor space, a dressing table she actually uses every day, a clothes rail and even the motivation to keep it tidy. Miracles do happen.
A few nights away!
We had a few nights away during the year and every single one felt like the biggest treat. Stu and I had a Valentine’s Day away, just the two of us and it was lovely. No kids, no responsibilities, just us pretending we were young and carefree again. I had a night away with Becky as a late Mother’s Day gift when we went to see Whitney - The Candlelight Concert. The whole evening was gorgeous. We did have a week away booked in October but life happened and we decided to play safe and cancel. We still had days out though and made the most of everyone being off work and had a cheeky night away!
Gousto meals!
I have stuck with Gousto over the year, getting recipe boxes delivered most weeks. They sent out an email like a Spotify Wrapped for food and I was far too excited about it. Apparently we had 32 boxes delivered, ate 85 different recipes and explored 13 cuisines! I love how it makes meal planning easier. No more standing in front of the fridge wondering what combination of random ingredients will make an actual meal. It’s made cooking fun again and we’ve tried so many things we never would have picked ourselves.
The Garden!
My garden was a bit hit and miss this year but I enjoyed growing what I did. The sunflowers were a huge success, my tallest being about 6ft tall. My flowers did amazingly well and were still going strong well into November. I did so well with the cucumbers and my tomatoes were late coming but I grew more than a few handfuls.
Katie Van Slyke
TikTok showed me a woman, Katie Van Slyke from Tennessee who has a farm. She breeds horses and other animals and I have followed along, watching and have become so invested in her animals. Her mini goats got me hooked when they were pregnant and I've watched the baby goats being born and grow up, mini horses been born, cried when a horse died and lately I have been watching all the new born calves. Soon it will be foaling season for the horses and I am very excited.
A tattoo!
Not mine, my youngests. Ellie got a tattoo a few months ago, at the time it wasn't my favourite but it's growing on me! It's so funny but I keep forgetting that she has it especially at this time of year with her wearing long sleeved tops. She loves it and is so proud of it.
An empty house!
As much I have loved the family time we have had over the last year I have enjoyed having an empty house while the girls have been out doing their own thing, at work or with friends. They both seem to have the best social life and as much as I miss them they're not here it makes me happy they are out in the world loving life.
John Cena!
I've loved him most years, he is/was on the top WWE stars. What a rollercoaster ride the last year has been since he announced his retirement! He's been on our screens for 20 years and has worked hard. This year though, I went from loving him, to hating him when he turned bad guy and then loving him again.
Heart Musicals!
Since I discovered Heart Musicals radio station it is just about all I have listened to apart from the last few weeks when it has been Christmas music! I listen to it through the radio app on my TV. It has all the musical hits from the likes of Wicked, Les Mis, The Greatest Showman, Frozen, Chicago, Hamilton. I’ve been walking around my house, singing like I’m on stage at the West End.
What have been your favourite things in 2025?
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