The Wednesday Hodgepodge #27

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. Are you more life of the party or more party pooper? If your answer is somewhere in the middle which side of the middle do you lean towards more?

I’d say I’m somewhere in the middle but leaning toward life of the party. I'm the one keeping the snacks flowing and dragging people onto the dance floor when the playlist gets good but I’m also not the last one standing as I don't do late nights anymore.

Birthday party, beach party, cocktail party, dinner party, charity fundraiser, surprise party, costume party, garden party, Christmas party, reunion...what's your favorite kind of party?

I think I’d pick a cocktail party. It is a good balance between fun and fancy. You get the cocktails which I love, plenty of picky food to graze on and the kind of atmosphere where you can chat without shouting over blaring music.

2. Cheese, wine, and balsamic vinegar all improve with age. What would you personally add to the list?

Pyjamas! The older and more washed they are, the softer and comfier they get and the same goes for jeans too! My favourite jeans are one's that I have had for years and I have worn and worn!

3. How do you feel about your birthday? How do you want to be celebrated? Or don't you?

I love my birthday and want it to be celebrated but nothing too over the top. A nice family meal out, a few drinks and maybe a day out somewhere too. I wrote about how I like to spend my birthday a few months ago.

4. What remarkable feat, interesting piece of trivia, or historical event occurred on your birth day and month? Not necessarily your same birth year, just the same date/month.

My birthday is the 21st of November and in 1941 the iconic cartoon character Tweety Bird made his first appearance in the animated short A Tale of Two Kitties! In 1945 Goldie Hawn was born, in 1980 you found out who shot JR, the Nintendo DS was released in 2004 and the first installment of the popular Twilight film series was released in 2008!

5. Share two good things about your life right now.

My girls are living their best lives. They are both so happy which in turn makes me happy.

I am enjoying cosy season. It has turned colder here and I am enjoying being under my blanket while I'm watching TV, burning autumn candles, baking and drinking more hot drinks.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

What I am not loving about this time of year and the change in season is the germs my family bring home from work and college. My fella had a cold last week and has passed it to me. Ugh! I think I am over the worst but having a cold is no fun at all! 

Birthday season is over for another year!

My fella and my two girls have their birthdays in the space of three and a half weeks. From the middle of August until last week it is birthday season in our house. It is hard work organising everything and making sure they have a special day and this year was extra special as it was Ellie's 18th!

It all started in the middle of August with Stu's birthday. It wasn't a big birthday but it was nice just to celebrate him. We had planned on the girls taking him to play pool and then get a Chinese takeaway at home but the Chinese takeaway was closed for their summer break but it turned out OK as it happened to be the first Saturday of the Premiership and Newcastle United were playing so we went to a pub showing it and had food there. The only thing that would have made him happier was if his team won, they just got a draw. He loved all of his gifts, especially his new Newcastle United top off Becky.

Ellie's birthday was the big event of the summer in our house. She turned 18! All of the stress and planning was worth it on the day to see her face when she came downstairs and saw the decorations, opened her presents and was so surprised by some of the surprises I had planned. The new dressing table, her boyfriend coming over for the day and going to visit family. She got everything that she wanted and more!

The main event was a night at the pub. We had planned on a quiet meal but shortly after we'd finished eating the karaoke started and it started with the whole pub singing happy birthday to Ellie. She was of course mortified but said it was the most scared and happy she has felt at the same time. lol She went to the bar to order her first legal drink and was very disappointed that she didn't get asked for ID. It turns out the guy serving thought she was already 18. lol To be fair she was the youngest in her school year so everyone she knows has been 18 for potentially three hundred and 60 days. lol After that they made a point of asking for her ID. hehehe 

It was a fantastic night and thankfully there were no sore heads the next morning as Ellie had a night out with friends to prepare for. She went out around town with a group of her friends, her first proper night out. She kept in touch so I didn't worry that much, she sent me vidoes and photos and it looks like she had an amazing time but she said never again will she do two nights out on the trot! By Sunday afternoon she was ready for her bed. lol It turns out it's hard work celebrating being 18 years old. As much as young adults have a bad reputation for drinking lots, throwing up in the street and falling over I can honestly say Ellie was sensible and didn't drink much alcohol, she was just happy to join her friends on a night out. She is the youngest out of her friendship group so having a night out with them has been a long time coming!

After the double night out Ellie was quite prepared to enjoy the next weekend at home but her sister had other plans, she was taking her on a night out with her friends and to a Emo music event. Ellie loves all the emo music and they had a hotel booked so there was no rush home. They went to a couple of bars afterwards but were in bed just after 1am which wasn't bad considering lots of the bars and clubs don't close until 6am. Eek! 

Next up was Becky's birthday! This was going to be more of a quieter affair, yes it was a birthday but not a big one like Ellie's so it was a lot more relaxed. 

Becky is the hardest person to buy gifts for, she has everything or buys anything that she wants or needs. I think I did well though, she was happy with all of her presents especially her pool cue. Her favourite present of all was a kiddy wrestling belt that her sister had got her. lol She has seen the price of replica one's so it's a dream to own one so a plastic one will have to do for now!

All Becky wanted to do with her day is have a Pumpkin Spice drink from Starbucks and a look around the shops, she is so easy to please so that is what we did! It was nice for it just to be her and me for once, we sat people watching outside of Starbucks, looked around Primark, went in a shop we don't usually to get out of the rain and ended up at the pub where we were meeting the rest of the family for a meal.

We enjoyed our food and headed home, well at least Stu, Ellie and I did. Becky was heading out and meeting up with friends for a wild night out, well probably not that wild as she is pretty sensible.

So that's it, the birthdays are over for another year, well at least the one's that I have to organise. Mine is the next birthday and I have already told my family what I want to do. hehehe It's up to them to plan and organise it.

Our weekly meal plan! 15th - 21st September! #MealPlanningMonday

Last weeks meal plan went really well. We ate everything apart from the home made Chinese takeaway on Saturday as I didn't see the point in making it with just Stu and I home. I forgot Becky was back at work and Ellie was out with friends. Everything is still in the freezer so we plan on having it this week. Our favourite meal of the week was of course the roast chicken dinner. They always seem a little bit special when we have them during the week and not on a Sunday.

This week looks much quieter for me! Hooray, I have nothing on, no plans! I feel like I’ve been here, there and everywhere over the past few weeks so I’m looking forward to a slower pace with just a bit of pottering about the house and doing my own thing while Stu and Becky are at work and Ellie’s at college.

I have had a Gousto box delivered this week as I am completely fed up of thinking about what to cook every night. Coming up with meals is harder than the actual cooking sometimes so Gousto to the rescue! I’ve gone for meals we’ve had before because I know the family likes them and it saves me from the whole what on earth is this faces at the dinner table.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Gousto meal - Mild Chicken Curry. I must remember not to put the sultanas in the rice as my family weren't keen on them last time.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - Chip Shop Fish & Chip Burger With Curry Sauce.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Honey Hoisin Pork Noodles With Smashed Sesame Cucumber.

Thursday - Sausage pasta bake.

Friday - Pizza.

Saturday - We'll try this again! Home made Chinese takeaway. Sweet and sour chicken balls, egg fried rice, spring rolls, salt and pepper fries and chow mein.

Sunday - I'm not too sure yet but probably something with mashed potato and veg.

What about you? Have you got your meals all sorted this week? What are you eating?

A photo every day for a year! 7th - 13th September! Week 37 of #Project365

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a good weekend. We’re having a really quiet one here which feels like such a treat. It’s mostly just Stu and me rattling around the house as Becky’s back at work and Ellie is off out living her best life. After three birthdays crammed into less than a month and Stu and I having a rare night out last weekend I am glad to be doing nothing much at all.

Yesterday after nipping into town I got back into my pj's, had a good clean around the house and did some baking with the apples and pears which I picked off my dad's fruit trees. It was one of those proper homey days where you just feel settled and content. I don’t think I’ve had one of those in a while so it was very much needed.

Now for a photo every day!

250/365 - 7th September

Sunday was a lazy one and I spent most of it catching up on blog bits in front of the TV. Snacks were obviously involved The doughnuts from Iceland are really good.

251/365 - 8th September

I had a walk to the farm shop. I really should use it more often as the veg there is so fresh and looks like it’s actually seen the soil unlike what you get from the supermarket. The prices are a little higher but they weren't too bad and it feels good to support local.

252/365 - 9th September

Freshly painted nails. I did think about putting false one's on as I had cut my nails right down but I couldn't be bothered. I went with a greyish/blue colour.

253/365 - 10th September

Becky's birthday and out of all the present's that she got she was overjoyed with the toy WWE title belt that her sister had got her. She does want a real one but they are so expensive, even she has the sense not to spend over £150 on one.

254/365 - 11th September

I had given up on my tomato plants, they looked dead a couple of weeks ago but when I was putting some rubbish out I stood one something and when I turned around I noticed tomato's on the little plants, there's quite a few of them as well! What a surprise!

255/365 - 12th September

Ellie had an appointment in town and wanted me to go with her for some moral support, she said. I think it was more that she wanted me to buy her breakfast. hehehe We had a full English breakfast and a nice pot of tea each. The place we go brings tea out in little pots with a little jug of milk, we always feel so fancy!

256/365 - 13th September

I thought I had plugged my phone in to charge last night, it turns out I didn't. Oops. It's a good job there are charging points on the bus.

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