My March goals & plans!

I’m carrying on with my monthly goals and plans because writing things down really gives me that little kick up the behind to get things done! February was surprisingly productive for me so I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself. I ticked off almost everything on my list.

I finally got my photos printed and popped them in frames. I also treated the living room to a few extra shelves, which now gives me more space to display my pretty things and more photos, because obviously, one can never have too many photos. Valentine’s Day was extra lovely this year. Stu and I treated ourselves to a fancy meal deal from M&S. The dining room got painted, pancakes got made and I had my contraceptive implant changed without any tears, fainting or dramatic moments. The garden got a tidy up too. Although there’s still plenty more to do, all my decluttering tasks went pretty well and I think I did OK with drinking enough water!

This month I want to:

Sort out all the kitchen cupboards!

I’m diving headfirst into the kitchen this month. I’ve decided to section it off and tackle one set of cupboards a week. It’s amazing how much stuff gets collected there and I’m actually looking forward to finding things I forgot I had. This should keep me busy for the month.

Keep listening to audiobooks!

Last month, I finished Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter, The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary, The Carer by Deborah Moggach, Breaking Point by Edel Coffey and Emma on Fire by James Patterson. I went for a mix this time, swapping my usual funny romantic comedies for some heavier, more serious stories. Top tip: don’t listen to books about babies dying or people setting themselves on fire right before bed, it gives you nightmares! I’m thinking I’ll keep two books on the go this month, a serious one during the day and a light-hearted one for bedtime.

Paint the wood on and around the fireplace!

Now most of the furniture is black and there is less red in our living room the dark red on the fireplace and around it looks out of place so I am thinking about painting it black to go with the rest of the room. All the other shelving is black so it makes sense that should be too. How hard can it be? Sand it down a bit and paint.

Watch 4 more movies!

I only managed 3 new movies in February as I found myself watching some of my old favourites like Independence Day, Titanic and some Disney classics. What I did watch was:

Hairspray - How had I never seen this before? The energy, the colours, the songs I knew from the musicals radio channel that I listen to, it was fun from start to finish.

The Witches (2020 remake) - It was definitely scarier than I remembered the 1980s version being! The Grand High Witch had me jumping at every scene. Modern and flashy but still wickedly fun.

Responsible Child on Netflix - A factual drama about a 12-year-old on trial for murder. Heavy stuff, but it really makes you think about the UK legal system and whether children should be tried as adults.

Start some Lego!

Now that I’ve got more storage, I can finally start some of the Lego sets I’ve been putting off. I love the idea of having a little project that’s just for me and it’s kind of relaxing. It also gives me something pretty to put on the new shelves once it’s finished.

Take more walks!

The days are getting longer and hopefully the weather is warming up. I might even do a little photo walk and see what spring signs I can capture for the blog.

Buy seeds and start planting!

Spring is coming, which means seed shopping season is here. I’m planning on starting some indoor planting and getting the garden ready. I might even try a few herbs on the windowsill since I seem to use so many while cooking and fresh is always best.

Test the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors!

Amazingly, my family haven't tested the smoke alarms for a while with their cooking so I think it's about time that they were tested, as well as the carbon monoxide detector.

Try a new breakfast recipe each week!

I am just going for one a week as I am not usually a breakfast person but I keep seeing breakfast recipes and think I want to try that! Cinnamon butter brioche toast, air fryer omelette, rhubarb & custard fluffy pancakes and Eggs Benedict!

Have a date night with Stu!

We’ve been doing pretty well at keeping up with our monthly dates. January was an unplanned meal out while we were shopping, then a Costa snack. February had Valentine’s Day and another little meal a week later with drinks. I’m thinking March will have something extra like a fun activity or a quirky restaurant. Keeping these dates going is one of the highlights of the month for me.

What do you have planned for March?

Our weekly meal plan! 2nd - 8th March!! #MealPlanningMonday

How was your weekend? Ours was a really quiet one and I loved it. We watched loads of wrestling on TV, which as you know makes me very happy. I get far too invested in storylines and end up shouting a lot at the TV. hehehe Other than that, we didn’t really do much at all. We were all tired on Sunday, so it turned into a proper nothing day which we really needed.

I’m feeling pretty proud of myself because last week’s meal plan went completely to plan and I mean completely! We ate everything with no swapping the days around. It all worked and I think it helped that I’d picked mostly family favourites, so there were no complaints or thinking we didn't actually fancy that. When everyone is happy with what’s on their plate life and meal planning is a lot easier.

This week we are back to having our Gousto meals and I was way too excited about choosing them. Last week I struggled to pick 3 meals to make an order but for this week I could have easily picked around 10. I love getting our Gousto recipe boxes delivered, they make life easier. I don't have to think much about planning meals, shopping for ingredients or coming up with new recipes to try!

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Gousto meal - Beef Mince & Veggie Stew With Mash!

We're starting the week off with a hearty stew! This is a new recipe for us and it seems the perfect weather for it, grey and gloomy! This involves beef mince with parsnip and carrot, flavoured with sage and garlic, all simmered in a rich tomato stock and served with buttery mash.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - Meat-Free Mince Sloppy Joes With Creamy Potato Salad!

This was one of the very first Gousto meals we ever tried and I remember being very curious about the meat-free mince. I am sure I didn't even tell my family it was meat free until they had eaten it and loved it. It tastes like normal mince but without any of those gristly bits. The meatless mince is cooked in a smoky BBQ-style sauce and served on plant-based brioche buns with creamy potato salad on the side.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Sausage Meatball & Tomato Sauce With Fresh Orecchiette!

This is one of our favourites from Gousto. My family would eat this every week given the chance and at the moment we seem to having it at least once a month! This one is sausage meatballs cooked in a rich, herby tomato sauce, served with fresh orecchiette. Those little ear-shaped bits of pasta are brilliant at holding onto sauce, which means every mouthful is a good one!

Thursday - Gousto meal - Honey Chicken With Tomato & Pepper Rice Bake!

This is a brand new one for us and I’m quite excited about it. It’s baked rice in a smoky homemade pepper and tomato sauce, served with juicy pan-fried free-range chicken finished with a golden honey glaze. Everything about that sounds good.

Friday - Chippy tea!

Friday nights have become chippy nights and it’s working very well for us. Since our local pub closed and we’re not eating out like we used to, I’ve done a bit of girl math and decided that ordering from the fish and chip shop once a week is basically saving money because of the not eating out.

Saturday - Gousto meal - Crispy Chicken Katsu Curry Burritos!

This one is such a good Saturday night meal. It’s basically a fun twist on chicken katsu. Crispy breaded chicken and shredded lettuce wrapped in tortillas and topped with a sweet and savoury coconut curry sauce. Wrapping it all up makes it feel fun.

Sunday - Chicken and I don't know...

We seem to have a load of battered chicken bits in the freezer that need using up. So I’m thinking we’ll just cook those and have a bit of a picky tea. I will see what else I can find in the freezer to go with all the chicken bits.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 22nd - 28th February Week 9 of #Project365

Happy Sunday and happy March! I don’t know how we got here so quickly, February flew by for me. I am looking forward to this month, the clocks going forward, we have Mother's Day and hopefully some warmer weather when spring begins.

I hope you are all having a good weekend. We’re having a nice quiet one here. Stu and Ellie went back to work and college after a week off and they were wiped out by Friday and ready for a rest. You’d think a week off would leave you feeling refreshed but real life comes with alarm clocks and early starts. If you’re reading this on Sunday morning, I imagine we're all tucked up in bed having a lie in.

Now for a photo every day!

53/365 22nd February

It felt like a spring day on Sunday! The sun was shining, we had blue sky and it was actually quite warm. It was good to get things out on the line to dry. It all started with Ellie's trainers and before I knew it I’d stripped the bed, shoved the bedding in the washing machine and that went out on the line too.

54/365 23rd February

I love the new shelves in the living room and I had a good faff about moving things around and swapping bits from one shelf to another. The best part is that I now have space for more of my Lego sets. They’ve been sat waiting patiently because I refused to build them without somewhere to display them.

55/365 24th February

Just a lemon muffin, nothing fancy but it was perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea.

56/365 25th February

I hate putting flatpack furniture together but this one wasn't actually too bad! I surprised myself and it went together without too much fuss. No leftover screws or things put on backwards. It was a new sideboard and you can see a photo of it over on my Friday Favourites post. I think our next project will be painting the wood on the fireplace to match the rest of the room.

57/365 26th February

Mine and Becky's Valentine's Day flowers lasted really well but by Wednesday some petals were starting to fall off, so I knew they had to be thrown out. I ordered some daffodils and chrysanthemums to come with the food shop! I love having fresh flowers in the house.

58/365 27th February

I’m halfway through Skin by Liam Brown and wow. I wasn’t expecting it to get under my skin (excuse the pun) the way it has. The story is set after a pandemic where human contact has become deadly. People have to live completely separated, even from the people they love. It's crazy to think that just a few years ago we were living in a pandemic so this feels a little bit too close to home.

59/365 28th February

New bath mats! They're not exactly what I imagined. In the photos online they looked much bigger. Oops. They'll do though and they do feel a lot softer under my feet compared to the old ones.

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

This week has felt like a proper fresh start. Last week Stu had the week off work and it was half-term break for Ellie so everything was a bit upside down in the nicest way. Then Monday rolled around and it felt like January and a whole fresh start. Back to routine, back to normal bedtimes but this time the sun was shining, warmer temperatures and there was even a bit of blue sky!

The sunshine has helped me so much. We’ve had a few days this week when it’s been bright and even a little bit warm. After all the endless rain earlier in the year, seeing the blue sky feels amazing! My mood is better, my energy is better and I suddenly feel like I can take on the world. It always feel more productive, I find myself opening windows and pottering about making lists of things I want to sort out.

Saturday night was such a good one. Stu and I headed out into town for a meal and a few drinks. It feels like ages since we’ve done that. We did plan to get the last bus home but after a couple of hours of being out, a belly full of food and a couple of drinks, we thought stuff it, we would just get a taxi home. We didn’t get home until well after half past one in the morning. Sunday morning wasn’t exactly energetic. I didn't feel as fresh as a daisy but I wasn’t suffering either. It should have been a lazy day but then I looked outside and it felt like spring. So the bed was stripped, washed and put out on the line to dry!

Stu has carried on with the painting. After finishing the dining room, he moved on to the bathroom. I thought he’d just used the same white paint we used in the dining room but no, it’s the one he used on the kitchen cabinets a couple of years ago. He said it is more waterproof and more suitable for bathrooms. I nodded along like I knew exactly what he meant but being honest I didn't even notice the difference until he pointed it out. That is his department. If it looks clean and fresh, I’m happy.

Seeing Stu busy with paint brushes and putting shelves up gave me that itch to change things too. The living room has had a little shuffle with me moving the furniture around. The sofa is now away from the window, which makes it so much easier to open and let some fresh air in and then I bought a new sideboard. I’d been thinking about it for a while because we needed more storage and it fits perfectly in the spot I had in mind.

Getting back into routine this week has felt good. As much as I love having everyone home, I do like our day-to-day routine. Family wise, it’s been a nice week. Ellie got back into her routine after half-term but she did struggle with being tired but that was partly her own fault. I went to bed just after 11pm one night and she was still watching TV when she knew she should have been asleep. She has cracked on with her college work and they're on the countdown now to exams and the end of the college year. Eek! Stu is back at work and he has felt tired too. Early mornings are no fun after a week of not getting up until at least 9am and Becky is just plodding on with life as normal, looking forward to the next couple of months as she has some exciting things planned.

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!