Our weekly meal plan! 28th Sept - 4th October! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend! We had a good one with lots of time spent in front of the TV. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was on Saturday, which was very confusing as F1 is always a Sunday thing. Strictly Come Dancing is back on properly with everyone dancing for the first time and yesterday I watched another Harry Potter film. Sometimes I don't want to be rushing around doing things all weekend, so it was nice to just potter around and be a bit lazy!

Last week's meal plan went well. We ate everything and mostly on the day I had planned too. The only thing we changed was the meal from the fish and chip shop. We decided we fancied something different and ordered McDonald's. I wish we hadn't, it took almost 2 hours to be delivered. By the time it arrived I think we'd all forgotten what we'd ordered. lol. The delivery guy said they were stopping online orders as there were too many and not enough people to deliver. Eek!

This week I am determined to have a quiet week. My family all have places to be and things to do so that will leave me home alone, so I have a list of things that I want to catch up on. We don't have a Gousto box this week as I forgot all about ordering one. Oops. I am hoping to start the Christmas present shopping this week. Hopefully I can convince Stu to come out shopping with me to help carry the bags. hehehe

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Chicken casserole, dumplings and mashed potato!

Today is supposed to be a chilly day. Not freezing but cooler than what we've had lately and it calls for a casserole. I will fill the slow cooker and let it do its thing. I'll be making a chicken casserole with plenty of vegetables and then we'll have dumplings and mashed potato with it.

Tuesday - Bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions.

My dad gave me a big pack of bacon and a roll of black pudding so I thought I would use it up this way. It is a made up meal. I will just fry everything up and we will either have it in a sandwich or with rice. I haven't decided yet. The tomatoes will come from my garden too. There are plenty ripe now, so I'm trying to use as many as I can.

Wednesday - Corned beef Crispbakes with homemade chips!

The crisp bakes are corned beef, potato and onion in a breadcrumb coating and we will have them with homemade chips and baked beans. This is such a simple meal but we all love it here.

Thursday - Vegetable fingers and pasta in BBQ sauce.

Once upon a time, vegetable fingers were one of the only ways I could get vegetables into my girls. I think it was because they looked like fish fingers. lol Sometimes I had to be a little bit sneaky! We are having veggie fingers with pasta and the easiest sauce ever. It is simply mayonnaise with a squirt of BBQ sauce mixed in.

Friday - A takeaway of some sort!

Friday night is an easy night for me. I don't cook and we order takeaway. It could be pizza, Chinese or Indian food or even ordering from the fish and chip shop. We will decide on the day what we fancy.

Saturday - Gousto meal - Peanut satay chicken burger with sesame chips and lime slaw!

This sounds so fancy. A fusion-style dish featuring pan-fried chicken coated in a rich, creamy peanut satay sauce, served on a soft brioche bun. It’s topped with zesty lime slaw for a bit of crunch and comes with crispy sesame chips on the side. To me, it's just a satay chicken burger with chips and a bit of salad. lol

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plans for Sunday at all. Everyone can help themselves to whatever they fancy and use up bits from the fridge, freezer and cupboards. There is always something that needs using up.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 20th - 26th September! Week 39 of #Project365

Happy Sunday!! I hope you've all had a lovely week and are enjoying your weekend. We have had a nice quiet one. Housework, the F1 race and Strictly Come Dancing yesterday and today we don't have any plans at all.

It's crazy to think this time next week we will be halfway through the first week in October. I don't know if it's just me but this year has flown over. Sometimes I wish time would just slow down a little, it will be Christmas before we know it and I am not ready for that. Hopefully I am going to start shopping for Christmas presents next week. I have quite a few ideas what to buy people so it should be easy!

Now for a photo every day!

263/365 20th September

I started watching Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Netflix this week and I finished it too. I still don't know if I loved or hated it. It was an interesting story but a bit too gory for my liking. I carried on watching because I wanted to know what happened.

264/365 21st September

Curlywurly's take me right back to my childhood! My grandad used to buy me one whenever we he went to the shop for his newspaper on a Sunday. They have of course shrunk in size now but they still taste almost the same which is the important bit.

265/365 22nd September

The Great British Bake Off was back on TV on Tuesday and it always makes it feel like proper Autumn. Nigella Lawson is one of the new judges and isn't she a stunner! I couldn't believe she is 66 years old. She looks fantastic!

266/365 23rd September

Stu brought home treats from work from Samsung! In this was a little bag of hot chocolate and another of marshmallows. I love little treats like this, especially when I wasn't expecting it.

267/365 24th September

This looks like a strange photo but it's the only one I took that day. I put my hairdressing skills to use, it turns out I must have some because this person trusted me to cut her hair. I cut about 8 inches off and it is straighter in real life than it looks in the photo! This was just a photo to show the person how much had been cut off.

268/365 25th September

On Wednesday in my Hodgepodge post, I mentioned conker shells and conkers and it turns out some people didn't know what I was talking about. I probably should have used their proper name, horse chestnuts! Ellie and I went hunting for some just so I could take a photo and share!

269/365 26th September

My dad was busy working on his new baby, otherwise known as the car that was last on the road in 1979! I don't know enough about cars to explain exactly what he was doing this time but I do know it involved the engine and it was causing him plenty of problems. He enjoys figuring how to fix things like this and it keeps him busy so it's a good thing.

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

This week my Word of the Week is: 

This past week has been chaotic but in the best way. There seems to have been something going on every day and even when we thought we'd made plans, those plans seemed to change within minutes.

Last Saturday was going to be a quiet night out at the pub at a country night but a few people turned up who I wasn't expecting and suddenly the night became much more fun than I thought it was going to be. Becky and I were getting the bus home just after 10pm when we decided that maybe we weren't quite ready for the night to finish, so we went into town. I rang Stu and asked if he or Ellie wanted to come. Stu said no but Ellie was up for it. She had to get herself ready and get down to the bus stop quickly. I gave her about half an hour to do what would normally take an hour! She got ready and ran to the bus stop and somehow made it with a minute to spare. Phew! I was impressed, I would probably have still been deciding what to wear when she was getting the bus. lol We headed into town and had a fantastic time. I always say the best nights out are the unplanned ones. We eventually got a taxi home and I was ready for bed by the time we got in.

Ellie's whole week has been mad! She started work, which is obviously a big thing but she still had a couple of appointments to go to during the week. Trying to fit everything around work and buses hasn't been easy and there have been a few changes along the way. One appointment was moved and then it was moved back to the original time. The problem was that this only happened after Ellie had already got the bus into town. She had a couple of hours to kill but wasn't too bothered as she got to see her "friend". Mid-week she had another appointment and then just a few hours later she had to be at work. There was no point in her coming all the way home, only to have about an hour before she needed to leave again, so she stayed in town, met up with friends and had lunch out and a look around the shops. I'm really pleased she's started work though even if I have spent most of my week tracking buses. It's been hard work getting to this point, so seeing her actually getting into a routine and having somewhere to go has been lovely.

Becky has been busy at work this week too. They had a big inspection which happens every year so everyone has been preparing for it and making sure everything was up to par. It's one of those times when everyone is on their best behaviour and making sure everything is done properly. There has been lots of checking, double-checking and making sure everything is where it should be. Thankfully it's all over now, so hopefully everyone can relax a little bit and get back to normal.

Last night I was supposed to be out at Bongo's Bingo event but I just couldn't be bothered after this week. It seemed like too much for my head to take! Bongo's Bingo isn't your usual bingo! The numbers are called out but in between games there are DJs, dancing, singalongs, cheesy music, competitions and ridiculous prizes. Normally I think it would be a lot of fun but after the week I've had, I just didn't have it in me.

I am loving watching Big Brother this year. It has been much more entertaining than previous years, there always seems to be something happening and there are definitely a few housemates who have made it interesting. Then there is Jedward, the celebrity guests who have brought the chaos. If you don't know who they are they are John and Edward, Irish twins who became famous by being a bit of a novelty act on The X Factor back in 2009. They are so annoying but I still love them! They caused a big argument and basically split the house but it sure did make good TV.

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!

What I have loved this week! Week 39. #FridayFavourites

Happy Friday! I hope you've all had a good week. We have had a really great week with lots going on. I have a few things that have made me smile this week and, of course, I am linking up with Erika and Andrea to share what I have loved this week!

Dolly Parton Day!

Today 9/25 is the day to honour the life and legacy of Dolly Parton and I couldn't not mention her on my Friday Favourites. You don't even have to be a big country music fan to know the words to songs like 9 to 5 or I will always love you but I think what made Dolly so special is everything she did outside of music! Her Imagination Library of course and helping people when they really needed it. Dolly may no longer be here, but her music, books, films, kindness and all the things she created are going nowhere. That's quite a legacy!

The Great British Bake Off!

It's back on TV and I do love it. The new series started here on Tuesday. Don't worry I won't be giving spoilers away apart from the first episode was very chaotic but Nigella Lawson has settled right in. She is so fancy though, especially when you hear her next to Alison Hammond.

A good start at work!

My youngest started work this week and she has got on great. It's been really lovely her coming home and telling us about her day, what she's been doing and the people she's met. The highlight of her week was getting a name badge which I had to give her a talking to about. She must remember to take it off when she comes out of work. I don't want any stranger knowing her name. She has made some new friends and thinks it's fantastic being treated like a real adult.

A country night!

I was out on Saturday night with friends at a local pub who had a country singer on. It was fantastic but so strange. Usually when singers are on at the pub most people are quite reserved and don't get up and dance until at least the second half of the performance but 2 songs in and we were up dancing and didn't really stop until the last song. It was such fun! In case you were wondering, it was Billy Ray Cyrus' Achy Breaky Heart which got us all up! lol

Samsung Galaxy AI Hot Chocolate!

Remember last week when Stu was given some Google Pixel socks from the reps who came to show off their new phones at his work, well this time it was Samsung's turn and they brought hot chocolate, reusable bags and water bottles for everyone. I claimed the hot chocolate and mini marshmallows. hehehe

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story!

I finished watching Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Netflix yesterday and I can't decide how I felt about it. The acting was good, the story was interesting and it kept me watching but it is definitely not a show for the easily offended! I went into it knowing it was about Lizzie Borden and the murders so I was expecting some dark stuff. What I wasn't ready for was how rude and sweary it was. That song in I think the 2nd episode. Wow, it's not very often you hear the "C" word on TV and I don't think I've ever heard it in a song. Eek!

What have you loved this week?