Monday, 22 April 2024

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

Our weekly meal plan

Monday again, they keep coming around so quickly! I hope you all had a good weekend. We had a lot of family time. I do like it when Becky has her weekend off work, there's decent stuff on the TV and we do something instead of just lazing about the house. We went out for lunch yesterday and had a lovely time.

Last weeks meal plan went well. We ate everything but did end out going out for Sunday lunch instead of staying in. Our favourite meal was the BBQ Chicken With Crispy Potatoes And Pepper & Corn Salad. When I get Gousto meals I sometimes think that making things like your own BBQ sauce is a faff but then when we taste it I understand that the faff is totally worth it! I swear this was the best BBQ chicken I have ever had and it went so well with the potatoes and pepper and corn salad is so simple but something I have never thought about having.

This week is a back to normal week. Ellie has a full week at college which should keep me on track with what day it is. It's Stu's normal day off work today and we don't have any plans at all but I am sure we will find something to do. I do have a night out mid-week which I am really looking forward to and will probably tell you more about it on my Friday Favourite post. We of course have Gousto again this week with a couple of meals we have tried before and loved and a couple of new one's.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - A fry up. Sausages, bacon, eggs, black pudding, mushrooms, hash browns, tomatoes, baked beans and toast.
Tuesday - Gousto meal - Stuffing Crusted Chicken With Buttery Veg And Onion Gravy.
Wednesday - I am out for a meal, Becky is busy so it's just Ellie and Stu for tea and they're having some sort of chicken with cheesy pasta. They have already planned it.
Thursday - Gousto meal - Bacon & Bean Casserole.
Friday - Gousto meal - Hoisin Pork Wraps.
Saturday - Gousto meal - Buffalo Fried Chicken Burger With Ranch-Style Dip.
Sunday - I am going to cook a roast dinner, it's been ages since we had one at home. I am thinking beef with all of the trimmings.

What are you eating this week?

Sunday, 21 April 2024

Week 16 of #Project365 14th - 20th April. A photo every day for a year!

Happy Sunday! I hope it is a nice, relaxed one for you, like Sunday's should be. I feel like I have such a busy week. I feel like I haven't spent much time on my laptop at all, I forgot to link up with Project 365 last weekend and only got around to commenting on those who did yesterday. Oops.

We are having a real family weekend, it's Becky's weekend off work and she's staying home to watch the start of Britain's Got Talent and we're all off out for lunch today. I really want the weather to be nice but I doubt it will be, at least it's not supposed to rain! I am so sick of this weather, we had a nice couple of days a couple of weeks ago and I thought that was the start of it warming up. Nope, Stu said there was hailstones in Hull earlier on in the week and we've had the heating on a couple of times as we've been so cold. Come on weather, sort yourself out!

Now for a photo every day!

Chocolate bunny and milkshake
Smashed peppers
Jon Bon Jovi and tidy cupboards
Bananas and the sky

105/365 - 14th April
Forgotten about chocolate is the best. hehehe I found this hidden away, it was mine but I thought one of the kids had eaten it.

106/365 - 15th April
Ellie went a bit extra with her milkshake and got all the cream and toppings. Best milkshake ever!

107/365 - 16th April
I took a photo of my smashed peppers expecting to have to prove they were damaged to Gousto. I didn't they just took my word for it and said here have £2 credit. 

108/365 - 17th April
Jon Bon Jovi on the TV. It seemed like such a treat as he is rarely on TV giving interviews. He is promoting his new documentary which arrives on Disney+ on Friday.

109/365 - 18th April
My cupboards are still organised a week after I tidied them. I am trying to be a real grown up and not just stuff everything in. hehehe

110/365 - 19th April
My dad was given a load of bananas so passed some on to me. They need using up so I am making some banana muffins this afternoon.

111/365 - 20th April
There's blue sky there, hidden under all the grey clouds. At least it's not raining.

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Saturday, 20 April 2024

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

Realised

We have had a pretty normal week, Stu and Becky at work and Ellie is back at college which has left me pottering about at home. I don't feel back into a proper routine yet as it was an inset day on Monday which meant we had one last day to enjoy the Easter holidays.

I only went into town on Monday for leggings, to visit the bank and get some superglue but came home with a couple of bags full of bargains. We visited Primark on the right day as there seemed to be so many things reduced. It has taken me years to realise but the smaller Primark in Scunthorpe is better than the bigger one in Hull. Last time I was in the one in Hull there was nothing for me, partly down to the fact they only seem to have extra small and small clothes and partly because they seem to go overboard stocking for the season which meant it was all bikini's, shorts and strappy maxi dresses. Scunthorpe's Primark is more realistic with bigger sizes and clothes for all the seasons, it also has all the themed stuff like Shrek and Lilo & Stitch things. 

There's a shop on Scunthorpe high street which sells a bit of everything. Home things, DIY stuff, bags, purses and decorations. I have always hated it but Stu loves it and I only go in to keep him happy. On Monday Stu realised why I hate it. We were stood there looking for superglue when the man in the shop came and stood at the end of the aisle with his arms folded, looking really intimidating. I nudged Stu and joked that I think he thinks we're stealing. He came closer and said he is watching us. That was enough for me, I said you can watch my ass while I walk out and take my money elsewhere. It was loud enough for other people in the shop to turn and look. I know people stealing from shops is a problem but he was on our case as soon as we walked in the shop. Ellie and Stu followed behind me laughing and couldn't believe what I said to him. I wasn't even sorry!

Ellie had a panic during the week. One of her teachers said that to do the Level 2 of her Engineering course in September everyone has to have a GCSE of 4 in maths and in English. Ellie is resitting her English GCSE next month and hopefully she will pass but it left her worried that she wouldn't be able to progress in college. She put her big girl pants on and spoke to her tutor, telling him that last year she had the chance to move up to Level 2 when her maths was re-marked and she got the pass, without having a pass in her English. She was saying it was unfair. Ellie said she got pretty ranty, raising her voice and being bossy. lol Her tutor soon realised that most of the class only heard half of the conversation that the teacher was having and the criteria for Level 2 only applies to new starters/school leavers. Ellie can still do the level 2 in September regardless of her English result! Phew! 

Becky has been planning to go somewhere in a couple of months, she assumed an event that she's planning to go to was in June but I saw something about it and Googled when it's on this year and it turns out it's a month later than usual. It's a good job she has me to keep her right. lol She might be a grown up but I am glad she still listens to my advice. She has been looking at houses or flats to rent over the last couple of months but has come to the realisation that she would be much better buying. She can buy a house and pay a mortgage for less than rent would cost. She is now on a mission to save to get a decent deposit, she has even turned down nights out to save a few extra pounds. 

I am writing this on Thursday afternoon and I have just realised that I haven't had the food shop delivered today, I haven't even thought about ordering. I am blaming the inset day on Monday knocking me off track with what day it is. Oops.

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

Word of the Week linky

Friday, 19 April 2024

What I have loved this week! Week 16. #FridayFavourites

Hello there and Happy Friday! This week seems to have flown over, my youngest didn't go back to college until Tuesday so it has felt like a short week. I am linking up with Erika and Andrea and share some of my favourites from this past week. One thing which hasn't been my favourite over the last week is our weather! There has been days where we have had all 4 seasons over the space of an hour. As I am writing this it is 9°C which to me is winter weather, not spring weather! Hmmf.

What I have loved this week

Jon Bon Jovi on the TV.
It was such a treat to see Jon Bon Jovi on the TV during the week. He was doing an interview on This Morning promoting his new documentary, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story which is coming out this time next week on Disney+. It's crazy to think the band Bon Jovi has been together for most of my life. They are my all time favourite band. I am so glad he didn't say no to touring again, he had throat surgery and is still recovering.

New clothes!
I was in town on Monday and only really went to buy some leggings to wear about the house but while I was in Primark I saw so many things with the reduced tags on so couldn't resist!

Shrek sweater and dresses

I got Becky the Shrek sweater that she has seen on TikTok. It was supposed to be £16 and I got it for £7, Stu got some t-shirts which were on sale and I got some dresses for the summer. They were all reduced to £5 which was about half price. The only thing that wasn't reduced on my shopping trip was the leggings, the one thing I actually needed. lol

A good return to college!
Ellie went back to college after her Easter break and got straight back to work with an assessment on the first day, one of those that she needs to pass before she can pass the course. It has been marked already and she did indeed pass with flying colours! It was a subject she wasn't confident on, tools! Even though she uses tools in practical lessons every week she does get some mixed up, especially with their proper names. I am sure in about 20 years she will laugh about these things.

Liquid laundry detergent! 

Liquid laundry detergent

For the whole of my life I have used washing powder but I don't know why but no matter what one I use lately it seems to clog up in the drawer in the washing machine. I am blaming our water, we are in a hard water area and suffer badly from limescale around the taps and in the kettle. Anyway, I decided to use liquid detergent and so far so good. The clothes are still coming out the same but the washing machine isn't getting clogged. Thankfully the one I am using is around the same price as the powder, well as long as my family don't go overboard and only put the right amount in!

Sleeping better!
During the Easter break I was staying up later on a night and staying in bed later on a morning. I love the lazy days but it has been nice to get back into a routine over the past week. I have found myself sleeping better, especially since I stopped wearing my fleecy pj's. They are great in the winter but not so much lately. 

A fruit bowl!
A fruit bowl is one of those things that you can find in most homes but our last fruit bowl got dropped and cracked, it was a wooden one and it has taken me about 3 years to replace it. I finally got one, a nice simple one for £5 and now it has a place in the kitchen.

Fruit bowl

Saturday night TV! 
I love our Saturday evenings in front of the TV and the shows are changing this weekend. Last week was the last of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and I cried. They have been doing it for 20 years and it's sad that it won't be on our TV anymore but they gave it a good send off. This weekend see's the return of Britain's Got Talent! I do love it and can't wait to see what talent there is this year. It seems to get better and better each year.

What have you loved over the past week?

Friday Favorites linky