365 Days Of Gratitude. In August I was grateful for...

I have seen many people on social media list something every day that they are grateful for and thought I would join in. I have done this for the whole of the last few of years and it has really made me realise that even on bad days I have something to be grateful for.

August went by in a flash! It is always a busy month for us with Stu's and Ellie's birthday but this year seemed extra busy. We've had days out, a week where we were full of cold, the bathroom was decorated, plenty of sport to watch and lots of family time which always makes me happy. It was a good month!

In August I was grateful for:

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Today I am grateful the drains were unblocked again! The pipes and sewers are damaged. The water board knows and it's going to be fixed sometime soon but they said that back in April too.

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Today I am grateful for tissues and cold and flu tablets. Stu has given me his cold! Ugh!

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Today I am grateful for a little lie in this morning! It means I can stay up a little later and watch a bit of WWE's SummerSlam!

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Today I am grateful for cough medicine and that I am not suffering alone with my cold, Becky has it too.

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Today I am grateful for a nice lunch with Becky, it has been a while since we got Costa delivered.

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Today I am grateful that I am just about over the cold that I've had. I can breath through my nose again and I'm not coughing as much! Yay!

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Today I am grateful for jacket potatoes for tea! Nice and easy!

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Today I am grateful to spend time with my dad! Been to his today, helped him with a few computer things and had lunch! Perfect!

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Today I am grateful the shower isn't broken! We thought it was as the water was coming out of the bottom. Turns out the shower head was blocked with limescale! Of course it was, the limescale is terrible here!

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Today I am grateful for a lazy Sunday! I've done nothing productive at all and enjoyed every moment!

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Today I am grateful that Stu has got half the bathroom decorated. He will be doing the rest at the end of the week.

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Today I am grateful that Ellie has another 2 job interviews lined up!

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Today I am grateful I saw the eclipse tonight. It wasn't that amazing but I saw it. lol

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Today I am grateful that I could stay inside today where it was cool!

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Today I am grateful for lunch at my dads. Bacon, black pudding and tomato sandwiches! Yum!

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Today I am grateful for a fun day out celebrating Stu's birthday a day early.

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Today I am grateful for a quiet day at home, Stu had a nice birthday and takeaway pizza for tea!

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Today I am grateful for The Freeman Hospital and their amazing surgeons, doctors and nurses which mean my girls are still here today! Today is 17 years since Becky had open heart surgery to fix a hole in her heart and tomorrow is 17 years since Ellie had her surgery. They both had the same issues with their hearts. Those days were some of the hardest of my life. I never thought we were going to get through the day, the week or even the month at the time. There were so many worries and so many things going through my head but here we are 17 years later and they are both fit and healthy.

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Today I am grateful for BBQ pulled pork in buns for tea! It was so good and I gutted there are no leftovers for tomorrow.

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Today I am grateful for more rain and not having to go out and water the garden!

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Today I am grateful that Ellie was OK with not getting a pass on her English GCSE resit. She did better than last year so it's not all bad and is booked on an intensive course to get something that counts as the English GCSE.

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Today I am grateful for an evening at the pub! Hour and half of a singer singing 90's tunes, football and a bottle of prosecco!

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Today I am grateful for football on the TV and that Hull beat Man United!!

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Today I am grateful for a nice afternoon watching sport. F1 and then the football. I can't believe that Erling Haaland has cut his hair and the tribute to Kevin Keegan was something special!

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Today I am grateful that Stu cooked tea! It was nice to have a night off during the week!

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Today I am grateful that I could go into town and pick up a few extra presents for Ellie's birthday.

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Today I am grateful to get a few jobs done around the house!

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Today I am grateful I didn't have to go out this afternoon, that rain was awful!

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Today I am grateful Ellie had a good night out with her friends!

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Today I am grateful Ellie had the best birthday! We had a meal out and a fab night out, my legs are aching from all the dancing I did. lol

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Today I am grateful for a day of doing nothing!

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Today I am grateful for a day at home getting some little jobs done.

What were you grateful for in August?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #71

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. What's something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to doing?

There was talk of us going to the beach and I think that is the only thing we never got around to doing. Both Becky and Ellie went but we never found the time to go as a family because on the days we could have gone it was just too hot to sit on a bus for an hour and a half but it's OK, there's always next summer. We still had a good summer even without a trip to the beach.

2. Were you the student who sat in the front row or hid in the back of the class? If you could go back and take one high school class again just for fun, which would it be?

When I was at school, my teachers all had seating plans and we were all told where to sit. We were given a seat and that would be ours for the year and usually it was not with our friends. Hmmf. The seating plans would put the quieter kids with the louder ones to try and even things out and the clever kids would be put with the not so clever kids so they could help each other. At the time, I hated the seating plans but looking back now I know they were for the best and everyone probably learned better sitting where the teachers put us. If I had to choose, I would have been sitting in the middle of the class.

If I could go back and take a class I think I'd choose English Literature. When I was at school it wasn't an option, only the top sets, the clever kids got to take English Lit. Of course, I did read books in the English lessons but didn't have a lesson which focused just on them. Both of my girls had English Literature classes at school and I really enjoyed helping them when they were revising for their exams. I'd read through parts of the books with them and talk about the characters. I found myself getting really interested in the books which surprised me a little!

3. What characteristics do you think are essential in a good teacher (this can be applied to anyone who teaches, not just classroom teachers)?

I think a good teacher needs to be patient, understanding, caring and approachable. When I was at school I remember the teachers who were all of those things. They were the ones who wanted me to succeed and made it easy to do so. With those great teachers, I would try my hardest and it showed because my exam results were better with the supportive teachers. The teachers who were not so great, in my opinion were the ones who would make you feel small and stupid for not understanding something or asking questions. I never did well in those lessons.

4. September 2nd is National Grits Day. Have you ever eaten grits? Are you a fan? If so how do you like yours? Would people describe you as 'having grit'?

I have never eaten grits. I of course, know what they are but they are not really a thing here in England. I've never come across them on a menu when I have eaten out or had them at home. I would like to try them though. They seem such a normal thing for people in the US.

I think people would probably describe me as someone who has a bit of grit. I am one of those people who doesn't give up easily, especially when something is important to me. I will moan and complain along the way but I don’t tend to let setbacks stop me.

5. What's something you're never too old or too young to enjoy?

Silliness! You’re never too old or too young to enjoy being a bit of being silly. Life is way too serious most of the time, so having a laugh and acting daft is needed sometimes. I live for those moments where I just forget my worries and dance round the kitchen while teas cooking, singing at the top of my lungs even though I can't hold a tune, laughing at something really stupid or getting way too excited about stuff other people think is childish, like stupid TikTok videos which I have seen. I think being silly is one of those things that keeps you young. You don’t need a reason for it and you don’t need to worry about whether you look daft. In fact, looking daft is half the fun!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's still pretty warm here now but nothing compared to the last couple of months and we have had a fair bit of rain that has been very welcome, the storms not so much. I am not a fan of the thunder or the power cuts that we've been having. We've had a couple over the last few days in the early hours of the morning. One morning there were house alarms going off which woke me up and another it must have gone straight off and on because the digital clock in the bedroom had been reset but I heard nothing. We had another storm Sunday night with thunder and lightning and as I am writing this on Monday morning we have blue skies and sunshine. Make your mind up weather.

My September 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.

I did pretty well with my goals in August and ticked a lot off my list.

Get some important life admin done - Yes, I have done as much as I can at the moment and it felt good getting it done.

Drink more water during hot days - Yes! We had plenty of hot days and I was mindful about making sure I drank enough. I sometimes had different drinks on the go at one time. Like now, I have a glass of blackcurrant juice, a glass of lemonade and a cup of tea beside me.

Go and see the new Spider-Man movie - No, I couldn't find the time for a cinema trip but Ellie went with her friend and said it was brilliant! Hmmf!

Celebrate Stu and Ellie's birthday - Yes! We had a lovely day out in town for Stu's birthday and then for Ellie's, we had a meal out.

Make a summer dessert I’ve never tried before - Nope! It has either been to hot to want to spend any time in the kitchen or I have been just too busy.

Have a mooch around the charity shops - Yes and I was very disappointed. The clothes racks were filled with overpriced items which came from Primark, Temu or Shein.

Have a picnic - We ate outside a few times. Meal deals from Tesco sat in the park, sausage rolls, doughnuts and a nice drink from Greggs.

Make lots of things with tomatoes from the garden - Not yet, not enough have been ripe at the same time so we've just been washing them and eating them straight away.

Decorate the bathroom - Yes! Stu worked hard, it is all finished now and it looks fantastic!

Have an ice cream from the ice cream van - We had several!

In September, I want to:

Celebrate Becky's birthday!

It is Becky's birthday in just over a week and we have plans and a good idea how we are going to celebrate. She has her own plans too, with a night out in town with friends, so there will be plenty of birthday celebrations going on.

Get ahead with my blog posts!

There was a time when I had lots of drafts written and posts which could go up at any time but now I only have a handful. I want to get ahead with writing more seasonal things, which should be easy to do as I have the ideas. It is just finding the time to get everything written down.

Go to TK Maxx!

I love this time of year when shops start getting all the autumn things in and TK Maxx is always fantastic for seasonal stuff. I'm not planning on buying anything but if something takes my fancy I know I won't be able to resist. I love looking at the autumn decorations, mugs, candles, blankets and all the other bits and pieces that start appearing.

Sort my wardrobe out!

I know the summer weather is supposed to carry on for a little while. Apparently we are getting another mini heatwave this month, which I can believe because it has been a hot summer. I want to sort out my summer clothes, pack a few away which I won't wear again until next year and check what I have for winter before bringing things out of storage. I'm sure I'll find things I've completely forgotten about.

Start shopping for Christmas!

Once Becky's birthday is over, I want to start buying gifts for Christmas. When I asked the girls what they wanted for their birthday, they had no idea until two days before, so I already have some ideas for Christmas as long as they don't buy the things before. This is the problem when buying presents for people who are old enough to buy their own things. You think you've had a brilliant idea, only to find they've already treated themselves!

Have a proper Sunday dinner

After all the summer meals and lighter meals, September has me craving a proper home made Sunday dinner. Roast meat of some sort, tons of veggies and of course Yorkshire Puddings!

Go to Hull Maritime Museum!

Last month, when we were in Hull celebrating Stu's birthday, we saw a big queue outside of Hull Maritime Museum and thought it must be good, so of course we want to visit. You can book a timeslot online, so there will be no queuing. The Hull Maritime Museum explores Hull's 800 year history with the sea with roughly 1,300 objects highlighting the area's whaling, fishing trade and rich seafaring past. It sounds really interesting and I'm looking forward to having a proper look around rather than just walking past it and wondering what it's like.

Watch the Harry Potter movies!

It has been at least a year since I last watched them, so I think it's about time to visit the wizarding world again. I'm not sure whether I'll watch them all in one go but I'd like to start from the beginning and work my way through them. I do love the Harry Potter series.

Sort out photos from the summer!

We've had quite a few family days out and celebrations, so September could be a good time to go through my photos, delete all the duplicates and blurry ones and I want to print a few out to have around the house.

Give the garden a good tidy!

It needs it. I have been slacking with it either being too hot, rainy or me just not having enough time. August was busy so this month I should have more time to get out there. Do some weeding, pull up dead plants and sort out our little shed where there are piles of plant pots and goodness knows what else.

What do you have planned for September?

Our weekly meal plan! 31st August - 6th September! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We had a great one celebrating Ellie's birthday and we have it all to do again in a week and a half when it's Becky's birthday! I will of course write all about it when I find time. Things have seemed so busy here over the last few weeks but I don't know why I'm acting all surprised. It's always like this in August. Can you believe tomorrow is the 1st of September? I do love the "ber" months.

Last week's meal plan went OK with me not getting a grocery delivery. We ate lots out of the freezer and there were many complaints and asks of can we just get a takeaway! We didn't until Friday evening and that was only because Ellie was out and she isn't a fan of Indian food, so Stu, Becky and I made the most of it. I did realise by Monday we were running out of a lot of random things, which was annoying, so I was very excited about getting the food shop delivered over the weekend.

We don't have much on this week. It is a bank holiday here today so we have even less going on than usual. Stu is back to work tomorrow after a week off, Becky has this week off work and Ellie has another job interview! She's averaging one a week at the moment but is getting nowhere. I feel disheartened for her but she is just plodding on applying and taking the no, thanks like a champ. I suppose she's doing better than a lot of people who are applying for jobs at the moment, at least she's getting the interviews.

I asked my family for help and ideas with the meal planning this week and they said they want to get the Gousto boxes again but I said why? We have folders full of the recipes, so they went through them and picked a few out.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - No idea!

Stu is doing the cooking tonight, so it will be a surprise. I don't think he knows what he's planning to cook either but I think it will be something out of the freezer.

Tuesday - Sesame Pork & Egg Fried Rice!

Ellie asked for this one and it took some finding as there are lots of pork and rice dishes from Gousto. lol Sesame pork and egg fried rice is made with savoury pork mince, fluffy rice, soy sauce and a hint of sesame oil with peas and carrots added and finished with scrambled egg!

Wednesday - Carrot & coriander soup with mango chutney pastry twists!

I know soup isn't usually a summer meal but this one is light and fresh. I will make plenty so we can have some for lunch the next day too. The mango chutney pastry twists are great as a side, they're just puff pastry with mango chutney spread on. I always make a few extra and have them for lunch on the day I make the soup.

Thursday - One Tray Sticky Hoisin Sausage Traybake!

This one is a good one! Sausages, potatoes and peppers are all coated in a sticky Hoisin glaze and cooked in a tray in the oven. They are one of my favourite type of meals because you can just shove everything in the oven and let it do its thing without too much washing up.

Friday - Pizza!

Homemade or just frozen ones out of the freezer, I am not too sure yet.

Saturday - Saturday - Red onion and bacon tart with baby potatoes!

This one is inspired by a Gousto recipe for Bacon and Leek Tart that we had years ago and it’s stuck with us ever since. I decided to make our own and Red onion and bacon tart became a thing. Ready-made puff pastry, a layer of soft cheese, topped with red onions and smoky bacon. I will make a little extra so I will have some for lunch the next day because it’s just as nice cold.

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plan for today and everyone can just help themselves to whatever they fancy.

What are you eating this week?