My youngest is 19!

I write a post every year on or around my girls birthdays and this year is no different. It is Ellie's 19th birthday today and I still can't quite get my head around that. Nineteen is so grown up. I know she's technically been an adult for a year now but there's something about saying she's 19 that makes me stop and think about just how quickly the years have gone.

Ellie's 18th year started off great and she has definitely lived her best life over the last year. It's been a pretty big year for her with lots of changes and plenty going on. There have been some really good times, some difficult moments and because it wouldn't be Ellie without a little bit of drama along the way. There were a few weeks, late last year which weren't great but Ellie handled it really well. She had to deal with something that wasn't easy and she came through the other side stronger. There were quite a few positive things that came from something that wasn't great so I am taking that as a win. When I look back over the last 12 months, I think one of the biggest things I see is how much Ellie has grown as a person.

She started back at college in September for her final year in education and she chose to do mechanical engineering instead of electrical. She had done two years of electrical engineering but decided that mechanical engineering was something she wanted to try too and it turned out to be a really good decision for her. She really enjoyed the course! There have been times over the years when education hasn't always been easy for Ellie, so I was really proud when she got through her final year. Finishing college felt like a massive achievement and a very big reminder that she was moving into a completely different stage of her life. The job hunting started and is still happening but she's had a few interviews and things are looking good. Hopefully, it won't be too long before she finds something that's right for her.

One of the big moments of the past year was also when Ellie got a tattoo. I didn't approve at first, she got a big Medusa on her arm and as her mam I had my opinions but she was 18 and it was her decision. Medusa has become a symbol of female empowerment, strength and survival, especially for women who have faced trauma or injustice and my girl has had a fair bit of that in her life. So when I look at the tattoo now, I don't just see a big tattoo, I see something that represents everything she has been through and come out the other side of! I think having adult children teaches you quite a lot about letting go. When they're little, you're making so many decisions for them. You decide what they eat, what they wear, where they go and what they can and can't do. Then they get older and suddenly they're making those decisions themselves.

Another big part of last year was Ellie's routine heart check-up in January. She had surgery to fix a hole in her heart when she was a baby, along with her sister and they both have checks every few years. Her leaky valve is still leaking and it's a little worse than it was before but thankfully, no one is worried about it. She's back in a couple of years for her next check-up, so I am taking that as a good sign. She might be 19 now but she's still my baby girl and I do worry.

Looking back over the last year, I think one of the things I'm most proud of is seeing Ellie become more confident in herself. She's starting to understand what she wants, what she doesn't want and what she will and won't put up with. She's learning to stand up for herself and she's becoming more comfortable making her own decisions. So happy 19th birthday to my youngest girl! I can't wait to see what this year brings. There are so many things ahead of her and while part of me would quite happily slow everything down, I'm also excited to watch her take those next steps and see where life takes her.

What I have loved this week! Week 35. #FridayFavourites

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a good week. I have had a really good week with lots of little things to enjoy. We've had plenty of family time, got a few jobs done around the house, had some nice evenings out and there has been a lot of sport on the TV to enjoy. I am of course linking up with Erika and Andrea to share all the things that I have loved this week.

Friday Fun!

Ellie and I were sitting here last Friday afternoon and were a little bored. We decided we fancied going out somewhere and had a look on Facebook and saw there was a singer on at a local pub, so off we went. It was such a fun evening. The singer only sung 90's songs, which is my favourite era and even Ellie enjoyed it as she knew all the songs. I have brought her up well. hehehe It was one of those evenings that wasn't planned at all but ended up being a really good night. Sometimes it's nice to just decide at the last minute to go somewhere rather than having everything planned weeks in advance.

A whole load of tomatoes!

Our tomatoes have gone a little bit mad! We have picked loads of them this week and there are still plenty left on the plants. We have had a few strange looking ones too, the darker looking ones. At first, I wondered if something was wrong with them but then I remembered I bought a few different varieties and this is quite normal, or so Google tells me.

Sport Sunday!

Sunday was a real day of sport here! I watched some of the Man City match, partly because I wanted to see if Erling Haaland, the striking Viking who played for Norway in the World Cup, really had cut all of his beautiful hair off. He has! Eesh! Then it was time for the Dutch Grand Prix, which was of course full of drama. After that, I turned over to watch the Newcastle United match. They were doing so well against Liverpool and were winning 2 - 1 right until the last minute and then Liverpool scored and it ended up as a draw. Typical football! The tribute to both Newcastle and Liverpool's old manager who passed away was something really special though. Seeing everyone coming together to remember him was lovely and I was almost crying.

Having Stu home all week!

My fella has had a week off work and I have really enjoyed having him home. Partly he's taken the week off just to have a break but we've also used the time to catch up on a few jobs around the house. He helped with the housework, cooking and shopping for Ellie's birthday. It has made the week feel a lot easier for me. I could get used to not having to do everything around the house. He also helped Ellie get to a job interview this week. She had a fair idea where it was, but had a little panic beforehand because it was in an area she hadn't been to before. She didn't get the job, she didn't want it anyway but it's more interview experience and a bit of life experience travelling somewhere new.

Gilmore Girls Pjs.

I have never seen anything Gilmore Girls in Primark before but it looks like they are getting a whole range of things in and I couldn't be happier. I got this set for a bargain price of £11!

Autumn in the shops!

I was in town during the week and saw all the Autumn things in the shops. Pumpkin decorations, cosy blankets, lots of candles, fluffy socks, mugs with Autumn leaves on them, hot chocolate sets, pumpkin-spiced everything, wreaths for the front door, chunky scarves, boots and fleecy pyjamas! I know August isn't over yet but I love Autumn everything and I want to buy all the things I definitely don't need! hehehe

Ellie's birthday tomorrow!

We are all excited about her big day. It isn't that long since we were celebrating her 18th birthday and now she's almost 19! I went out during the week and bought her a few extra gifts and I have to wrap them sometime today. I hate wrapping presents! We've got a few things planned, there will be food, presents and probably plenty of cake, which sounds like a pretty good Saturday to me.

What have you loved this week?

The random summer jobs I had as a teenager!

When I think back to summer jobs when I was younger, I don’t think of fancy internships, building a career or anything that looked impressive on a CV. I think of sweaty afternoons, doing jobs I probably wasn’t qualified for, earning a few extra pounds and convincing myself that I was basically an adult because I had somewhere to go and something to do. Looking back, some of the things I did during the summer were actually quite funny. Some were proper little jobs, some were more like helping out, and some were probably just excuses to spend time somewhere I wanted to be. If I wanted money for sweets, clothes and going out with friends, I had to find something to do and looking back, I think those summer jobs taught me a lot!

Babysitting - because I fancied the older brother!

This is one of the most obvious teenage summer jobs, except my reason for doing it wasn’t because I had a burning passion for childcare. Sometimes, when you are a teenager, you make decisions based on very important life factors. Like whether there is a cute older brother involved. There may have been a time when I was around 16 years old and babysitting was made slightly more appealing because I fancied the child’s older brother. The child was about 5 years old and the older brother was a little bit older than me. Teenage logic was brilliant. I convinced myself that doing almost anything was a good idea if there was even the smallest chance of seeing someone I liked. Looking after someone else’s children is a big deal when you are still basically a child yourself. Although I do wonder what the parents were thinking about leaving their precious children with a teenager who probably still needed reminding to tidy her own bedroom.

Working at horse riding stables - when I already had horses at home!

This one still makes me laugh because looking back, it seems slightly ridiculous. I spent time working at horse riding stables, mucking out the stables, cleaning saddles, making feeds, filling up hay and water buckets all in exchange for riding lessons, even though I already had horses at home and I was quite good at horse riding. I wasn't even paid! When I finished work, I still had to help with my family's horses. You would think that if you had horses the last thing you would want to do during your summer holidays was spend more time surrounded by horses but back then, horses were my passion, so spending my summer working with them and helping out seemed like the perfect job.

Cleaning a betting shop - before I was even allowed inside!

One of the strangest summer jobs I had was cleaning in a betting shop. I would go each evening after it had closed, empty the rubbish, hoover and clean. What is funny about it was that I wasn’t even old enough to be inside one when it was open. I was under 18, so I couldn’t actually walk into the betting shop during normal hours but I could go in and clean when it was closed. Madness! I was even responsible for making sure the shop was locked up each evening, which was crazy considering I was only about 16 years old. One night I remember finding a bag filled with that day's takings. Someone hadn't put it in the safe. I panicked, rang my dad from the shop phone and he said hide it somewhere and leave a note on the counter. It seemed like a good idea at the time but if someone had broken in, they would have just read the note and found the money. lol I got a bonus in my pay that week for being so honest and trying to help. Each Friday I would turn up to collect my wages, which would come in a little brown envelope and would have to try and get the manager's attention so he could come outside and give me it. 

Working in a laundrette - maybe this explains why I hate laundry now!

Another summer job memory that makes me laugh is working in a laundrette. At the time, it was just another way to earn some money but now, as an adult who looks at a pile of washing and immediately feels tired, I have to wonder if this was the beginning of my laundry problems. The sound of machines spinning all day, the smell of washing powder, folding clothes, dealing with other people’s laundry. I think teenage me accidentally ruined laundry forever. I am sure this was the summer I put on a ton of weight as the woman who owned it was a feeder. She made sure all the staff were fed when they were working and she was an amazing cook, so everyone ate far too much, with her asking again and again to eat more!

Car boot sales with my dad - one of my favourite summer memories!

Doing car boot sales with my dad was so much fun, even getting up ridiculously early, loading the car with things we wanted to sell and heading off before most people had even had their first cup of tea. Car boot sales were a proper summer tradition and you never knew what you were going to find. One person’s unwanted clutter was another person’s treasure. Doing them with my dad was probably less about making money and more about spending time together.

When I look back now, I realise those summer jobs were a big part of growing up. They weren’t glamorous, weren't always fun but they gave me independence, stories and memories.

What summer jobs did you have as a teenager?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #70

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. How do you feel about the transition from lazy summer days to a busier fall routine?

This is the first year that the change from summer to autumn isn't going to mean a big difference in mine and my families routine. I have no kids going back to school or college, so there isn't that big change. I can't see much changing for me between summer and autumn this year. I'll still be doing the same things, working on my blog, getting things done around the house and just getting on with everyday life. I do like September. I always feel that it's a bit of a fresh start with the weather getting chillier and getting darker on an evening. Things will start getting busier as we get closer to Christmas. October and November always seem to fly over and it will be Christmas before we know it.

2. Your favorite cookie?

My favourite cookie has to be a Nutella cookie from Batch'd which is a dessert/bakery company. They sell the most amazing cookies and although we don't get them very often, when we do, it feels like a proper treat. The cookies are big, thick and can never be eaten all in one go. There's Nutella on the top and inside.

3. What's something you've learned from a culture different than your own?

I've learnt quite a few things from American culture over the years, mostly from reading blogs and doing these Hodgepodge posts! America and England aren't worlds apart but there are so many small differences in everyday life.

For starters, Ranch is amazing stuff! I discovered ranch through American blogs and now I understand why it gets put on everything. I had heard of it before but I had only recently seen it being sold in shops. Now we always have a bottle in the cupboard. School life is another big difference that I find so interesting. Homecoming, school spirit, football games, cheerleaders, lockers and proms all seem to be such a big part of American school life. We do have proms now, but when I was growing up they weren't really a thing. Graduation parties are another one. There seems to be so much excitement around them. Halloween is another one. We celebrate Halloween in the UK of course but Americans really go for it. Thanksgiving looks like a wonderful holiday. Getting family and friends together, having a big meal, watching the parade, American football and just spending time together without the pressure of buying presents sounds fantastic. We don't have anything quite like Thanksgiving in the UK and I think it would be lovely to have a day dedicated to just getting together and eating far too much food. I've also learned just how many different words we use for the same things. I wrote a whole blog post about the differences between British and American words because there are so many! We have crisps, they have chips. We have chips, they have fries. We have sweets, they have candy. We say holiday, they say vacation and so on. There are loads of them.

I've picked up loads of little things from American blogs over the years, from recipes and food ideas to traditions and different ways of doing things. It's one of the reasons I enjoy reading blogs from people in other countries.

4. Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic...which hat would you most like to wear? Tell us why.

I'd have to go with a food critic, it sounds like a dream job, being paid to try new places to eat! It would be a good excuse to step outside my comfort zone and try different food that I wouldn't normally order. I like the idea of being able to share my opinion and help other people decide where they might want to eat. I wouldn’t want to be a really harsh critic like the shouty Gordon Ramsay though, I am too soft for that.

5. What's a small, random thing from your childhood that you still remember clearly?

When I think about random things from my childhood that I still remember really clearly, it’s toys! I can picture them so clearly and remember exactly how it felt playing with them. 

My Little Pony were probably my favourite. I remember how much fun it was brushing their hair and arranging them all together. Then there was my Glo Worm, I wouldn't sleep without it. I also remember the Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone. I had it and then my girls ended up having one too. Another toy that stands out for me is the Fisher-Price Activity Centre. It had all the little things to turn, spin, push and move and I can vaguely remember playing with it when I was really little and I definitely remember my brother loving it too.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

My random thought this week is that I really need to get better at remembering the random things I think about! All day, every day I have tons of random thoughts but when it comes to answering this question every week, my mind goes blank! I think I am going to have to start writing them down so I have something to say at the end of my Hodgepodge post. Lol