Share our Lives - Favourite room in my house!

It's that time of the month again to share some of my life and join in with the other Share Our Lives bloggers. This month the prompt is: Favourite room in our house!

If you asked me to pick my favourite room in the house, I wouldn’t even pretend to think about it. It’s the living room, the lounge, the sitting room or whatever you want to call it. It is the heart of the house, the place where life happens and the room that knows all our secrets, seen us at our best and worst and in our pj's at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. This is where I spend most of my time. If I’m home, chances are I’m here. The other rooms of course get visited but this one gets lived in. It’s comfortable, nothing is too perfect, it's cosy and very us!

First things first there's my armchair! Everyone in the house knows it’s mine, I don’t even need to say it any more. If someone’s sitting in it, I just stand there until they move, they know. lol It’s comfy in the exact right way. That chair has supported me through tired evenings, early mornings, lots of blogging, emotional TV moments and many snacks that were meant to be shared.

The TV is on the wall and I have a good view from my armchair. It brings us together and sometimes causes debates that get way too overheated for a programme we’ve all seen before. Some of our best laughs have happened right here in the living room in front of the TV, usually because someone’s said something daft or we’re all losing it over something that isn’t even that funny to anyone else. Saturday evenings in this room are my absolute favourite. There's no rushing and nowhere we have to be. It's just us together with snacks, laughing, talking over the TV, pausing to tell stories and rewinding bits because we missed something while laughing at something else.

The living room has heard the serious stuff too. The big conversations, the ones where we talk things through, share worries, make plans or just listen. It’s where opinions get shared, advice gets given and feelings are allowed to exist.

When guests come round, this is where they sit. This is the version of our home we share with the outside world. It shows who we are without trying too hard. Family photos on display, ornaments I love, even if they don’t match or don’t follow any kind of theme, each one has a little story attached, even if no one else knows it. Those family photos are another one of my favourite things here. They are everywhere you look, quietly reminding me of moments, memories, holidays, birthdays and random days that somehow became important.

Then there’s the view outside. From my spot I can see the world going on. People walking past, cars driving by and the weather changing its mind every five minutes. I love being tucked up inside while life carries on out there. In the summer, this room is the coolest room in the house and in winter it flips completely and becomes the warmest, cosiest place to be.

What I love most is that this room doesn't need much from me. I don’t need to tidy it perfectly to enjoy it, I don’t need to be productive, some days it’s noisy and full of life and other days it’s quiet and just me and my thoughts.

So yes, the living room, the lounge, the sitting room or whatever you want to call it is my favourite room. It’s our family hub, our comfort zone, our go-to place. It holds my favourite things, my favourite people and some of my favourite moments and if I’m having a rough day or a brilliant one, this is where I want to be.

What is your favourite room in your home?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

A pretty ordinary Thursday - A day in my life!

It has been quite a while since I did a day in my life post. The last one was last March. I decided to do a Thursday as it's quite a busy day which doesn't involve me just doing the housework. There was a bit of excitement with the shopping being delivered and me cutting and dying my hair. All of this happened on the 21st of May.

I woke up just after half past six as Ellie was getting up to go to college. She had an English GCSE exam to do. I dozed off back to sleep and ended up waking just as Ellie was leaving to get her bus. I love not having to get up and rush about getting the kids ready for school. Becky wasn't even here and Ellie has her own little routine, so me getting up would just knock her off track. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

I had a look at what the weather was doing outside. It was pretty gloomy and it had been raining. It wasn't cold though. We're supposed to have some lovely weather over the next week or so. I predict a lot of moaning about me being too hot. I didn't bother with breakfast as I knew I was getting something delivered with the food shop that was coming later in the morning. I had a glass of juice, had a tidy around. Ellie must have been undecided about what she was going to wear this morning as there was a pile of clothes in the bathroom and shoes in the dining room.

I switched my laptop on just after 9am and wrote my Friday Favourites blog post. Some weeks I have a ton of things that I have loved. This week I was struggling with things to mention. It wasn't that it was a bad week, it was just I hadn't done anything exciting, tried many new things or watched anything different on the TV. 

I checked my emails and had a read of the news. I like to know what's going on in the world but sometimes it can be a lot. I then went and cleaned the fridge out, I like to clean it before I fill it up again and my food shop was being delivered.

I checked my Asda grocery order and couldn't make any sense of the substitutions they were sending. I still have no idea what the flowers were but they sent chocolate croissants which were better than the almond ones that I had ordered. It does say on my order that I had ordered cheese croissants. I didn't, I double checked. How odd!

I saw online that my order was 19 minutes away, so I didn't bother moving from my armchair. I had a scroll on TikTok until my grocery order was delivered. My food shop arrived just after 11am.

The most exciting things to be delivered with my grocery shop were the flowers and Ranch sauce! I finally got some.

I know it is a big thing in the US but it isn't here. Today was the first time I tasted it. To me, it tastes a bit like mayo, a bit like garlic sauce and with a hint of Tartar sauce. My taste buds were confused but very happy with it. Now tell me what you use Ranch for, what it goes well with. On the bottle it says pizza but there must be other things?

The other great thing delivered with the food shop was my lunch. Each week I order a meal deal from whatever supermarket I am ordering from. This time it cost me £3.74 for a sandwich, snack and drink.

I got Bacon & Ketchup sandwich, Tropicana orange juice and a tub of Pringles. It is a good deal. If I was to buy everything separately it would cost £6.05!!

I ate my lunch while watching some more of Grey's Anatomy and then got on with cutting and dying my hair. I started just after midday and finished just before half past two. It's a process! I dye my hair fully with bleach every 12 weeks and inbetween every 6 weeks, just top up the colour. This time was the big one. I bleached my hair to get rid of the dark roots and grey hair that I had coming through and then went and tidied the kitchen while that did its thing. 40 minutes later, I rinsed it off and then let it dry a little while I sorted the washing. I helped my hair along with drying and had a sit outside. The sun had started to come out, it was getting warm and I could see blue sky!

When my hair had dried a little, I popped the colour and let that do its thing. I had a tidy in the dining room, sorted more washing and debated doing a load to hang outside but decided against it and I am glad I did as it got quite grey again later on in the afternoon.

Stu rang while he was on his lunch break and we had a chat. I do love those little catch-ups that we have. I don't see him on a morning as he leaves for work early, so it's good to know he made it to work and is OK. By the time I had finished on the phone to Stu it was time to wash the red dye off.

I sat down just after half past two, got comfy and decided I was having a couple of hours of not moving. I started writing this blog post and decided to watch a movie and put Jurassic World Rebirth on. We have a free trial of Sky Cinema at the moment and this was one of the only movies I wanted to watch off it. At least I could download it instead of waiting for it to start on live TV. As I am writing this, I am about 30 minutes in and I haven't seen a dinosaur. lol I spent the next couple of hours commenting on blogs, playing Cooking Fever inbetween and Ellie got in at around half past four and we had a lovely catch up about her day.

When Stu rang at half past 5 to say he was on the bus, I started making tea. Today we were having pork and apple sausages, spicy potato wedges, mushrooms and peas. 

It was a nice easy meal to cook, the air fryer took care of the wedges and I cooked everything else on the hob. Just when everything was almost cooked Becky and her friend arrived home. I knew there was an extra mouth to feed, so all was good.

Stu came in from work and we all sat down to eat together, which is something that I really like. There will be a day when the girls leave home and it doesn't happen, so I really cherish it when it does. Ellie washed the dishes and then I moved to my armchair and that is where I spent the evening. I watched some of the news, the soaps and then a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

I ended up having a latish night, not going to bed until coming on for midnight because Becky and I lost track of time while we were chatting. It was nice to have a catch-up after not seeing her properly for a few days. I listened to half an hour of my audiobook in bed while scrolling on Facebook and then I went to sleep.

What do you do on an average day when you are at home?

How I finally sorted my wardrobe without keeping a maybe pile!

At the end of last year, my wardrobe had reached the point where opening the door felt dangerous, clothes were trying to escape. Every time I pulled one thing out, three others followed it onto the floor and the annoying thing was I knew why. I’d kept pretty much every item of clothing I’d bought over the last ten years at least! All those tops I might wear again but never do, the dress I wore once to a wedding and felt amazing in even though it’s been hanging there untouched since 2016, the jeans that don’t fit but might one day and the things that I was weirdly attached to. I was fed up with fighting with my wardrobe and fed up with wearing the same few things, so I decided I was done messing about and was going to be ruthless with a proper wardrobe clear out and this is exactly how I did it!

Step one: I pulled everything out!

I started like I meant business. None of that, I’ll just have a little tidy nonsense. I pulled everything out of my wardrobe, finding things that I thought I had thrown away years ago. Oops. I even found some of the girls clothes there. It looked like a clothes shop had exploded in my bedroom. The bed and the floor soon disappeared! Once everything was out and staring me in the face, I made three piles: Keep, Donate and Toss! There was no maybe pile, I was serious about this!

I knew I needed rules, otherwise past me would start negotiating with the present me and that wouldn't end well.

If it doesn’t fit, it goes!

This one was important. If it didn’t fit me on the day I was doing the clear out, it went straight into the donate pile. I had things that were too small and too big. I wasn't keeping clothes for a version of me that may or may not exist one day.

If it hadn’t been worn in 12 months, out it went!

Twelve months is generous. It covers all seasons, birthdays, Christmas, random days out and those moments when you’re saving an outfit for something special. If I hadn’t worn it in a whole year, I wasn’t suddenly going to start now. This rule even claimed some of my PJs, which hurt a bit because you all know how much I love my PJs but if they were shoved at the back on the shelf and I always picked the same ones instead, so what was the point?

If it was damaged beyond reasonable repair, it was gone!

There was no I might fix this one day. I had trousers with holes in them that I had planned on fixing but deep down I knew I wouldn't. I had tons of paint-covered tops and leggings from when I had been decorating which I kept in case I needed them again. I haven't needed them, so most of them were thrown away and there were items that were past their best. Most of it went in the bin, but I did keep some old T-shirts to rip up for cleaning rags.

If it made me smile, I kept it.

I used the Marie Kondo rule and it worked. If I picked something up and it made me smile, it stayed. Some things were tempting to keep just for nostalgia, but I reminded myself that memories don’t live in wardrobes.

If I wore it regularly, it stayed!

This one was easy. If it’s something I reach for all the time, it didn’t even get questioned. Straight into the keep pile with no guilt attached.

To stop myself getting stressed, I worked through one category at a time. Dresses, jeans and trousers, then T-shirts, jumpers and finally pyjamas. There was no chucking things aside to deal with later. Each item had to earn its place. Some things needed trying on, especially summer dresses I hadn’t worn much yet. I asked myself how I felt in them, not how I wished I felt. That made the decision much clearer. Then came the big realisations. Did I really need eight black cardigans? I didn't, kept three and donated the rest. I counted 56 T-shirts! I cut that number in half and only kept the ones I actually loved and wore.

The donation pile quickly became my favourite, it felt like a reward. Knowing those clothes were going to people who wanted or needed them. It made it easier to let things go. Someone else gets to enjoy them instead of them gathering dust with me. The toss pile was smaller than I expected, which surprised me and the keep pile was my new wardrobe. Seeing it all together was such a moment. I could actually see what I owned, I rediscovered things I loved but hadn’t worn in ages because they’d been buried and it felt lighter.

Opening my wardrobe now doesn’t stress me out. I’m not battling hangers or digging through stuff I don’t even like. Everything there has earned its spot and the best part is that I actually wear more of what I own now. Nothing’s hiding, there's just clothes I like, that fit and that work for the life I have now.

What is your wardrobe/closet like? Organised or chaotic?

Share our Lives - Favourite Cleaning Products!

It’s that time of the month again to share some of my life and join in with the other Share Our Lives bloggers. This month the prompt is: Favourite Cleaning Products!

Cleaning isn’t exactly fun but the right products make it way less painful. Over the years, I’ve tried my fair share of cleaning products and I have my favourites to clean different spots around the house.

Method All Purpose Cleaning Spray!

Method All Purpose Cleaning Spray. It is a lifesaver. It’s plant-based, biodegradable and uses naturally ingredients rather than harsh chemicals, which means it cleans surfaces without leaving behind anything scary. I use it for everything: kitchen counters, bathroom surfaces, tiles, appliances and even a quick wipe of the surfaces in the living room. My personal favourite is the pink grapefruit scented one. I have always found that I enjoy cleaning a little more if there is something nice to smell.

Cif Cream Cleaner!

This is the kind of cleaner I reach for when surfaces are looking properly grubby, perfect for sinks, hob splashbacks, bathroom tiles and that kind of thing. It’s gentle enough not to scratch enamel or stainless steel, yet strong enough to shift grease and stuck on muck. A little goes a long way and it leaves surfaces with a lovely shine and it's relatively easy to rinse off.

Fairy Liquid!

We don't have a dishwasher so we wash the pots the old fashioned way, in the kitchen sink with a squirt of Fairy Liquid! It cuts through grease like a dream, tackles baked on food and just works. With a little bit of Fairy and some elbow grease, everything sparkles. I have tried other brands and they are just not the same.

Harpic Limescale Remover Gel!

We live in a hard water area and the limescale is terrible if I don't keep on top of it. Taps, bathroom tiles and the toilet all end up covered in that annoying chalky build-up, which is why Harpic Limescale Remover Gel is a non-negotiable in my cleaning cupboard. It dissolves limescale, tackles hard water stains, kills 99.9% of bacteria and leaves the toilet smelling fresh and clean.

The Pink Stuff!

If there was a cleaning superhero, this would be it. It’s a thick gritty paste that somehow works on nearly everything: baked on pans, oven doors, sinks, tiles, grout, you name it. Anything looking sad, grimy or neglected suddenly feels loved again after a bit of elbow work with this tub of goodness. I have found great for cleaning white trainers too!

Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner!

Speaking of ovens, sometimes you need the big guns. Enter Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner. My oven can sometimes resemble a volcanic disaster zone and this stuff makes it manageable again. Baked on grease and grime melts away with a single application.

Shake ‘n’ Vac!

It’s one of those classic UK cleaning products that’s super satisfying because the results are instant. You just sprinkle it over your carpet, leave it for a bit to absorb dust and dirt and then hoover it up. It’s like a sprinkle of fairy dust for your carpets and rugs!

Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleaner!

For those times when I need serious germ busting power, Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleaner is my go-to. It’s not the most glamorous product but it’s reassuring to know that when I’m wiping down door handles, the bathroom sink or all the places my family touch around the house I’m actually killing germs and not just moving them around.

Flash Wipes!

I thought once my girls were older I would stop buying these but surfaces still get smudges and there are random spills at all hours. These wipes are brilliant for a quick clean up with no fuss, just grab a wipe and go!

Vanish Carpet Cleaner!

I don't use this often but it is good to have in the cupboard for spilt drinks, melted chocolate or food stains. Spray it on, give it a little scrub and somehow the stain disappears like it never happened! It's like magic!

What is your favourite cleaning product to use around your house?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

My April goals & plans!

I’m carrying on with my monthly goals and plans because writing things down really gives me that little kick up the bum to actually get things done. I always feel more motivated when I have a list to look at instead of just thinking I should probably do that at some point. When it’s written down it feels more official, like I’ve made a little promise to myself.

In March, I did really well with my goals. I felt like I got loads done. A few things even got sorted that weren’t even on the list to start with. I replaced the broken washing basket, I also got a new hoover which felt exciting. There’s something about a new hoover that makes me want to clean everything all the time. Even the random bits of life admin that popped up got sorted. Last month’s goals were mostly ticked off too and I completed every single one apart from having a date night with Stu! We ended up spending money on the house instead of going out and doing something fun. Hmmf. It was proper grown-up behaviour. I am not complaining though, because it is nice to have a nice house. The kitchen got sorted, which felt amazing. I decluttered the cupboards and gave them all a really good clean, I listened to plenty of audiobooks which made me very happy and I also painted the fireplace and all around it which turned out to be much more work than I expected. Someone said I should have shown a before and after photo, so there is one below. I tried a few new breakfast meals, which were fun, I planted some seeds, I watched more than four movies that were new to me and I actually started my Lego. Hooray!

This month I want to:

Paint the doors in the living room!

Since Stu decorated the dining room, I have started noticing that the living room doors could really do with a lick of paint too. As soon as one room looks nice, suddenly everything around it starts looking a bit tired. I know, I know it was only a couple of weeks ago that I said I was done with home improvements for a while but once you start you begin spotting all the little things that could be improved. It’s a slippery slope. hehehe The doors aren’t terrible but they are looking a bit worn and scuffed, so a fresh coat of paint would make a big difference. I did briefly think about painting the walls as well, but they still look pretty good from the last time they were done.

Use the washing line!

Now it is starting to get warmer outside, it is time to stop using the tumble dryer as much and make more of an effort to use the washing line. It will save a little bit of money on the electricity bill and it will keep me busy hanging the clothes on the line. I have got a little lazy over winter and the tumble dryer has been far too easy to use. So, if the weather is good, I am making a point of hanging the washing outside instead of taking the lazy option.

Wash the cushion covers and curtains in the living room!

Washing the curtains and cushion covers in the living room doesn’t get done as often as it probably should and now I can get things out on the washing line. That means they will be done without the worry of shrinking things in the tumble dryer. The cushion covers and curtains in the living room are definitely due a good wash. Once they are clean, the whole room will feel fresher and look brighter.

Have a family day out!

Ellie is off college for two weeks for the Easter holidays and hopefully Stu can get some time off work too. I want us to have a proper family day out somewhere. Becky has her set days off work so we will work around her. I have no idea where to go but I would like it to be somewhere we haven’t been before.

Read more audiobooks!

Last month I listened to a fantastic mix of audiobooks and they were all completely different from each other. I listened to Skin by Liam Brown which was intense and quite unsettling at times. Then there was What Does it Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella which was much more emotional but also surprisingly funny considering it deals with illness. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was another one I finished and that one really makes you think about life choices and all the different paths we could take. The Surrogate Mother by Freida McFadden which was a proper twisty drama and finally, Swept Away by Beth O'Leary which I didn't love but I enjoyed it.

Watch four more movies that are new to me!

Last month I watched a few films that I hadn’t seen before and it was a really good mix: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy was one I had been meaning to watch for ages and I’m so glad I finally did. I loved it. It was sweet, funny and a little bit sad at times too. It felt a bit like catching up with an old friend you haven’t seen for years. I also watched A Minecraft Movie which was fun even though it was a bit silly in places. Then there was F1. Since getting back into Formula One I felt like I had to watch it and I’m glad I did because the racing scenes were brilliant and it had a good story too. Finally, I watched The Long Walk which turned out to be much darker than I expected. The tension really builds and I probably shouldn’t have watched it right before bed though, because it left me feeling a bit on edge.

Get my little greenhouses out of the garage!

I love my little greenhouses. They’re just the plastic-covered ones, not proper glass ones but they work just as well. I would say better because, in the winter, they just get moved into the garage and not damaged by the weather. They’ve been in the spider-infested garage over winter, so it’s time to give them a clean and get them set up again. At the moment, my seeds are growing on the kitchen windowsill but once the weather warms up they will move outside into the greenhouses and I’ll start planting even more.

Do some baking!

Finally, I want to do a bit of baking this month because I have quite a few baking supplies that need using up. It won’t be anything fancy. I’m thinking scones, cupcakes and maybe a carrot cake or two because carrot cake is my favourite cake.

What do you have planned for April?

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

This week my mind has been on our bins. I know how boring!! Apparently we’re getting simpler, smarter recycling where I live. That’s what they’re calling it anyway. I’m sure it will be simpler eventually but at this moment in time it just feels like a lot of faffing about and trying to remember the new rules. Oh! and to top it all, they are changing the days the bins will be collected, add in the bank holidays and it's going to be chaos for the next few weeks!

Right now we have 3 wheelie bins. Garden waste, recycling and general waste and two boxes. One for cans and one for glass bottles or jars. From the start of April, the boxes are going and all the recycling goes into our new, bigger red bin, food waste goes in the garden bin and the general waste is used for everything else. It sounds simple when it is written down but it's a lot to get my head around.

Our new bigger red recycling bin was delivered on Monday and I thought ahead. I ordered some of the sticky numbers weeks ago to put on it. Of course, I couldn't find them. I looked everywhere but came across them eventually. I wanted our house number on because now everyone's red bins are the same. I don't want to get mixed up.

I think we have been short changed. My dad's cousin, who lives in Hartlepool, was given an outside caddy for food waste and a smaller indoor one. They were also provided with liners to put in their wheelie bins. We get none of that. I bought an indoor caddy to make life a little easier. Going outside after every meal to scrape the plates does not sound like fun. I guess you can tell I am not happy about the food bin situation. We don't have that much food waste, which is probably a good thing but we still have some and I can just imagine how it's going to stink in the summer. I know it will knock me sick every time I open the wheelie bin. Our council is helpful. They suggested freezing food waste. lol Especially for smelly items like raw meat or fish. They say you can store the waste in a container in your freezer then transfer it directly into the outdoor bin on collection day. I can just imagine it. Stu is getting ready for work, goes into the freezer and picks the wrong tub and takes a tub of food waste for lunch. lol

It just seems to be making more work for me. The garden/food wheelie bin will need washing out every week in the summer. What happens if a hosepipe ban kicks in? I did think about getting the biodegradable wheelie bin liners but as far as I can see online, our council is saying no to them. Ugh! I suppose it could be worse. If we did have a food caddy I can just imagine it blowing away down the street.

Now I have to train my family in how to use the bins. The old recycling bin was emptied earlier in the week, so now all recycling goes into the big red bin and this week we are starting to use the indoor food caddy. Becky stood in front of me the other day with a handful of things, trying to figure out what was going in which bin. I know we will get used to it eventually but until then, keep me in your thoughts because I predict me getting shouty with my family when they put things in the wrong bins.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky!

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

Over the last month, Stu and I have made a lot of improvements around our home. It all started with him painting the dining room, putting some new shelves up and me getting a new sideboard for the living room. Since then, it has all snowballed, one job has just led to another. The girls keep coming in and look around suspiciously to see what has changed or what has been added to our house.

On Saturday I spent a good few hours putting another little sideboard together. You would think smaller would mean simpler to put together but no! There were so many fiddly bits and the instructions were not great. Well, to my eyes they weren't. Ellie said she had no issues understanding them. It would have been much easier with an electric screwdriver but Stu's wasn't charged and I had no idea how to charge it. I battled on and resulted in a sore hand but a very nice looking sideboard/bookshelf. I felt very pleased with myself for putting it together and getting a bargain. I saw it on the Wilkos website for £42 but actually bought it from Temu for £29.53!

On Monday my new washing basket arrived. I feel like I am getting old because I got excited about a laundry basket. lol The old one was round so this being rectangular seems to fit better into the kitchen. My family complained that it was smaller, they're never happy! It turns out it must be around the same size as they've not been able to fill it yet. hehehe

Another improvement in the house has been the vacuum situation. Our Dyson vacuum cleaners have served us really well over the years. I was actually sent a couple to review back in 2017 and they’ve been absolutely amazing but all good things must come to an end. The upright one wasn’t quite as powerful as it used to be. It still worked but it definitely felt like it was losing a bit of its oomph, so I decided it was time to get a new one. I went with a Russell Hobbs cylinder vacuum. It's not quite as fancy as the Dyson but it does the job! I didn't even realise Russell Hobbs made vacuums but the kitchen appliances we've had from that brand have always been reliable!

Next up came me painting the fireplace and all the wood around it. It was an easy job apart from waiting for the paint to dry! That took way longer than I thought it would. I took a tip from my brother and wore latex gloves, so I wouldn't get paint all over my hands, which in theory is great but I covered my hands before the paint even touched a brush when I was getting the lid off without the gloves on. Oops. I bought 2 tins of the black paint and it turns out I only needed one, so I have decided to sand Ellie's computer desk down and paint it. She is not overjoyed about it but I said at least I will be able to take it outside and it should dry quicker. After that, all the furniture in the living room will match!

When the paint was dry I rearranged all my shelves again. I love all my trinkets, Funko Pop Characters and knick-knacks. I felt like a child again when I used to play with my doll's house, rearranging the furniture. I've said now that nothing will be moved unless I am dusting or until Christmas when I put the decorations up. hehehe

I think the home improvements are done for now. Now it's time to focus on the garden since my compost was delivered. It was much later in the week than I expected, so I haven't got any planting done yet. That might be a job for today!

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky!

A photo every day for a year! 1st - 7th March Week 10 of #Project365

Happy Sunday, again! This week seems to have flown by for me and a lot of what has taken up my time is admin! Ugh! It was my Word of the Week yesterday and my photos prove it. lol. I don't know why I'm surprised, because it seems to be around this time every year that a lot of admin needs doing. Emails, forms to fill in, printing things, checking things, waiting for replies and chasing up things I sent days ago! Double ugh! At least it's the weekend so I can have a break from it.

Yesterday was a busy day of just pottering around waiting for parcels. As of writing this yesterday morning, I was waiting for parcels from I think every delivery service going: DPD, Royal Mail, Evri, DHL and Amazon. Most of it was just practical things for the house and garden. I have seeds and compost arriving as I’m determined to get a bit more organised with the garden this year. I also ordered some paint for a little project, a new washing basket because the old one has seen better days and a few other bits and bobs that I probably didn’t need but added to the basket anyway,

Hopefully, today stays dry because Stu is wanting to cut the grass in the back garden. It has suddenly started growing again over the last couple of weeks and it’s getting quite long. He will finally get to try out the lawnmower that my dad gave us late last year. It’s one of those that has a box on the back which collects all the cut grass. Our old mower didn’t have that, which meant raking everything up afterwards, so this should make the job a lot quicker.

Now for a photo every day!

60/365 1st March

I love this time of year for sunsets. During the winter they seem to happen in the middle of the afternoon but once we get into March they usually happen when I am in the kitchen making tea so I can run out and snap a photo when I see a pretty sky!

61/365 2nd March

It was a warm but dull day on Monday and no one had their washing out on the line so Stu decided to have an hour of burning cardboard and papers that we really should shred but why go to the effort when the fire does the trick. The fire pit is something he made about four years ago using an old drum from a washing machine. It’s one of those things that turned out to be really useful. It works perfectly for little garden fires and has held up really well over the years.

62/365 3rd March

I have spent a lot of time this week waiting for emails. It reminded me of that old saying: a watched pot never boils. The same applies to email inboxes. The more you stare at them, the longer everything seems to take and the second you stop looking the email turns up.

63/365 4th March

I had a battle with the printer. Stu unplugged it when he painted the dining room and it was a nightmare getting it working again. For some reason printers and I have never really got along.

64/365 5th March

We got the leaflet about the bins! It's all change, with the recycling boxes not being used, we're getting a bigger recycling bin, food waste will go in the garden bin and our collection day has changed too. It felt like a lot of information to take in all at once.

65/365 6th March

I love that all the daffodils are popping up all over the place. They are very impressive on the walk to my dad's. One side of the grass verge is full of them.

66/365 7th March

Lots of parcels arrived, more than I thought because some were for Becky! I can't even complain as I know she ordered my Mother's Day presents and those could be them.

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My March goals & plans!

I’m carrying on with my monthly goals and plans because writing things down really gives me that little kick up the behind to get things done! February was surprisingly productive for me so I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself. I ticked off almost everything on my list.

I finally got my photos printed and popped them in frames. I also treated the living room to a few extra shelves, which now gives me more space to display my pretty things and more photos, because obviously, one can never have too many photos. Valentine’s Day was extra lovely this year. Stu and I treated ourselves to a fancy meal deal from M&S. The dining room got painted, pancakes got made and I had my contraceptive implant changed without any tears, fainting or dramatic moments. The garden got a tidy up too. Although there’s still plenty more to do, all my decluttering tasks went pretty well and I think I did OK with drinking enough water!

This month I want to:

Sort out all the kitchen cupboards!

I’m diving headfirst into the kitchen this month. I’ve decided to section it off and tackle one set of cupboards a week. It’s amazing how much stuff gets collected there and I’m actually looking forward to finding things I forgot I had. This should keep me busy for the month.

Keep listening to audiobooks!

Last month, I finished Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter, The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary, The Carer by Deborah Moggach, Breaking Point by Edel Coffey and Emma on Fire by James Patterson. I went for a mix this time, swapping my usual funny romantic comedies for some heavier, more serious stories. Top tip: don’t listen to books about babies dying or people setting themselves on fire right before bed, it gives you nightmares! I’m thinking I’ll keep two books on the go this month, a serious one during the day and a light-hearted one for bedtime.

Paint the wood on and around the fireplace!

Now most of the furniture is black and there is less red in our living room the dark red on the fireplace and around it looks out of place so I am thinking about painting it black to go with the rest of the room. All the other shelving is black so it makes sense that should be too. How hard can it be? Sand it down a bit and paint.

Watch 4 more movies!

I only managed 3 new movies in February as I found myself watching some of my old favourites like Independence Day, Titanic and some Disney classics. What I did watch was:

Hairspray - How had I never seen this before? The energy, the colours, the songs I knew from the musicals radio channel that I listen to, it was fun from start to finish.

The Witches (2020 remake) - It was definitely scarier than I remembered the 1980s version being! The Grand High Witch had me jumping at every scene. Modern and flashy but still wickedly fun.

Responsible Child on Netflix - A factual drama about a 12-year-old on trial for murder. Heavy stuff, but it really makes you think about the UK legal system and whether children should be tried as adults.

Start some Lego!

Now that I’ve got more storage, I can finally start some of the Lego sets I’ve been putting off. I love the idea of having a little project that’s just for me and it’s kind of relaxing. It also gives me something pretty to put on the new shelves once it’s finished.

Take more walks!

The days are getting longer and hopefully the weather is warming up. I might even do a little photo walk and see what spring signs I can capture for the blog.

Buy seeds and start planting!

Spring is coming, which means seed shopping season is here. I’m planning on starting some indoor planting and getting the garden ready. I might even try a few herbs on the windowsill since I seem to use so many while cooking and fresh is always best.

Test the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors!

Amazingly, my family haven't tested the smoke alarms for a while with their cooking so I think it's about time that they were tested, as well as the carbon monoxide detector.

Try a new breakfast recipe each week!

I am just going for one a week as I am not usually a breakfast person but I keep seeing breakfast recipes and think I want to try that! Cinnamon butter brioche toast, air fryer omelette, rhubarb & custard fluffy pancakes and Eggs Benedict!

Have a date night with Stu!

We’ve been doing pretty well at keeping up with our monthly dates. January was an unplanned meal out while we were shopping, then a Costa snack. February had Valentine’s Day and another little meal a week later with drinks. I’m thinking March will have something extra like a fun activity or a quirky restaurant. Keeping these dates going is one of the highlights of the month for me.

What do you have planned for March?