Our weekly meal plan! 23rd - 29th Dec. #MealPlanningMonday

Here we go the run up to Christmas. If all is going to plan my Christmas food shop should be getting delivered today. Eek! I hope there isn't many substitutions. I do have a backup if the veg is short, there's the farm shop up the road and the little Tesco in town. Please let Asda be good and deliver everything. I really don't have time to go looking and buying things.!

This week on the menu we have:

Monday - It's my dad's birthday and we might be going out for a meal. If we don't we will be having pizza out of the freezer. 

Tuesday -  A takeaway of some sort. We haven't decided yet whether it will be a Chinese or pizza.

Wednesday - Christmas dinner then leftovers and snacking out of the fridge.

Thursday - Leftovers and snacking out of the fridge.

Friday - A fry up. Sausages, bacon, mushrooms, black pudding, fried eggs, tomatoes and baked beans.

Saturday - Party food and nibbles.

Sunday - Spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread. I think we'll need a proper meal by now.

Apart from Christmas dinner, what are you eating this week?

My top 9 on Instagram. #MySundaySnapshot

Every year a highlight of using Instagram is seeing my top 9 photos. It is a nice way to look back on the year that was.

I already knew one of the photos would be in my top nine. I think it's one which received the most likes ever in my Instagram history and it was to support a lovely woman and a great cause!

#1 Piss Off Phyliss was to support the lovely Emma from Island Living 365. A large group of bloggers came together to support Emma and her fight against bowel cancer! It was all about raising awareness. Emma called her cancer Phyllis hence the Piss off Phyllis hashtag!

#2 My teen's GCSE results! She did so well. Better than we expected. I couldn't have been prouder of her.

#3 The first photo I took when we moved house. I am not tired of this view yet. Throughout the 6 months we've lived here I look out of the window and notice something new and different.

#4 This is one I didn't expect to see in my top 9. The S.W.A.K Kissable Keychains. They are fab little things. Ellie really loved them. 

#5 A throwback Thursday post using the Timehop app. It was a random Facbook status. Ellie had jammed her fingers in a door. Little did we know that the next day we would find out she had a problem with her heart and it was the start of the worst 6 months of our lives. Heart problems, open heart surgery and a lot of tears!

#6 This was taken on the day when I added my own URL to my blog and went from being Northumberland Mam to Life As Kim. It felt like such a big change but now I am used to it. Phew!

#7 I had to look back and see what I said about this photo as it was so random. It was just Missandei off Game of Thrones. It turns out I said something like "I still think of her as Sasha Valentine off Hollyoaks. lol

#8 Easter Eggs! Who doesn't love Easter eggs!

#9 A reduced raid from my local Tesco. I think this was my best until a few weeks ago when I got £14 worth of smoked salmon for just over £4, a ton of £2 odd sandwiches for 60p and loaves of bread for about 25p each!

If you don't already do follow me on Instagram.

Week 51 of #Project365 - A photo every day for a year!

Here we go! There's only a few days until Christmas, my girls have finished school and college for the year, we're just about ready for the big day and we're all very excited.

This past week has all been about the last of the preparation. Getting shopping deliveries, buying the meat, wrapping and handing out the last of the presents and trying to stop my family eating all the food meant for Christmas.

Here's a photo for every day! 

348/365 - 14th December

She wasn't happy that she had to wash the dishes. We share the chores here on a weekend. The kids help out, they don't always like it but I think it is a good way to learn a bit of responsibility.

349/365 - 15th December

The girls made their gingerbread houses. They are almost all gone now, they have just about eaten them.

350/365 - 16th December

I went out and bought the meat with my dad for Christmas day. We got a bit carried away and we have turkey, pork and beef!

351/365 - 17th December

I wrapped all of the presents on Tuesday and watched Avengers: Endgame again. It was the perfect length of film to see me through.

352/365 - 18th December

Becky loves college but she was happy to be finished for the year on Wednesday!

353/365 - 19th December

My fella has just about finished work for the year and decided to renew his subscription to the online game World of Warcraft. I've hardly heard a peep from him since he started playing. hehehe

354/365 - 20th December

I finally got around to icing the Christmas cake!

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

I think I'm just about ready for Christmas day! I hope you are too!

The Christmas cards were handed out on Friday. Last year I didn't bother writing any as I only had a few friends and we didn't bother. This year I've had to post some and write them to the people we've met since we've moved house.

On Saturday we went to the local auction. It was there last one for the year and we only went for a gossip and the free mince pies and coffee was a bonus. I did end up buying a vase which is the same as one I already have. Now I have one for each side of the fireplace. I paid £2 and didn't realise it also came with a few garden planters. lol Bonus!! 

I had such a rotten sleep on Sunday night and I am blaming the Christmas food shopping. Half the Christmas food shop was delivered on Monday. To be honest it was mainly alcohol, chocolate and the pigs in blankets which I've put in the freezer. I dreamed that the Asda man came with his van couldn't get parked and drove off taking my shopping with him and drank all my Bucks Fizz. Thankfully it all went well and he could get parked and I have my Bucks Fizz. lol

I also went shopping with my dad to get the meat on Monday. We had planned to get either just chicken or turkey but what we came home with was a turkey crown, a joint of pork and huge joint of beef which I had to cut in half as there would be far too much. My dad was just going to pay for the meat but I saw a few things I wanted in Tesco and he paid for that too. Hooray. He said it's only fair as I'm having him and his partner Sarah for Christmas day.

From Tuesday Stu has been working half days mostly. Winding down for Christmas so we decided to get the wrapping done. I went and sat on the bed surrounded by presents. I tried to think of the longest film I could think of and it was Avengers: Endgame at 3 hours long which got me through wrapping most of the presents and then I finished them off listening to Christmas music. Stu was going to help but he was annoying me so I had him just moving the present's I'd wrapped and passing me more to wrap, oh and bringing me food and drinks. lol He did well. He went to the post office and nipped in the bakery and got me some fancy cakes. He knows how to keep me happy.

We had the big Christmas clean on Wednesday! I didn't even bother switching my laptop on until we were nearly finished which is unheard of from me. Switching my laptop on in a morning is usually one of the first things I do. Becky had her last day at college for the year too. As much as she loves college she is ready for a break.

We handed over the last of the presents to my nephew and his mum on Wednesday evening. They used to come and visit us when we lived in Northumberland but now they live at the other side of Scunthorpe so it's very handy. It was nice to have a catch up and we're planning to see more of each other in the new year.

Yesterday we had a man come to inspect the non-existent insulation in the loft and see if we can get cavity wall insulation. The new insulation isn't a problem. He said we need more up there but the cavity wall insulation is a no go as we have no cavity. lol There's just a brick wall. We live in a semi-detached house now so the whole left had side of the house is an outside wall and you can tell. Going up the stairs is freezing. Thank goodness for the radiators at the top and the bottom of the stairs and thankfully Becky's bedroom with the 2 open walls isn't cold once the heating is on. When the insulation is put in the loft it should at least keep some of the heat in. We just have to wait until January to get it done.

Today Ellie finishes school early and then we can really start getting excited for Christmas. We have a busy few days coming up so tomorrow will be a lazy day then on Sunday we're going up North to visit family, Monday it's my dad's birthday and the fresh food is being delivered, then I will start the prepping the veg and cooking the turkey on Christmas Eve. Oh and I must get the Christmas cake iced. It's one of those jobs I've been meaning to do all week but haven't got around to.

I feel ready even though there is still some things to do. I'm not stressing so that is a good thing. I'm sure we'll have a wonderful Christmas. I hope you all do too! Merry Christmas!!