My favourite blog posts from the last year!!

My blog turned 13 a few days ago and as I do every year I’ve been looking back at my favourite posts from the last twelve months. These might not be the ones that got the most views or comments but they’re the ones that made me smile the most, brought back good memories or reminded me why I love blogging in the first place.

November - A visit to York Christmas Market!

I loved writing this one. The York Christmas Market is just magical with the lights, the food, the smells and of course the mulled wine! hehehe It was such a lovely day out and I really enjoyed sharing all the photos. There’s something about a proper festive market that just puts you in the best mood and I’m already hoping to go back this year with the girls and make even more memories.

December - Reflecting on 2024!

This one was harder to write because 2024 wasn’t exactly an easy year but now looking back I can see how far we’ve come and how much stronger we are as a family. It’s one of those posts that felt emotional to write but also really healing.

January - Things I did as a teenager that I wouldn't let my teenagers do now in 2025!

This post was fun to write. The things we used to get up to in the 90's with no phones, no tracking apps, just chaos! I had so much fun comparing my teenage years to what I’d actually let my girls do now. Times really have changed, and it made me realise just how wild and wonderful we all were back then.

February - My favourite things about my fella!

I don’t often write about my fella but Valentine’s Day felt like the perfect excuse. It was lovely to sit down and actually think about all the reasons I adore him. Sometimes life gets busy and you forget to say those things out loud so this was a nice little reminder of how lucky I am.

March - Share Our Lives! An average day in my life!

This felt like proper old school blogging, the kind where you just chat about your day. I loved joining in with the Share Our Lives bloggers and giving a peek into what a normal day looks like for me. It’s the kind of post I love reading on other blogs too because I'm nosy and I love seeing how other people live their ordinary days.

April - A Saturday night away and out!

Becky treated me to a night away and we had a great time. Good food, seeing a show and then a couple of drinks afterwards. Having older kids definitely has its perks. hehehe

May - Deaf Awareness Week 2025!

Raising awareness for hearing loss is really important to me because of Ellie being deaf in one ear. I always try to use my little corner of the internet to talk about things that matter and this one definitely did.

June - Parenting Teenagers: Things I thought I’d never say out loud but did!

Parenting teens is basically a daily mix of confusion, laughter and did I really just say that moments. I could’ve written about a hundred things that my girls have said, they keep me on my toes, that’s for sure!

July - My day at Winterton Show, North Lincolnshire - 2025!

We go every year and it’s always one of my favourite days of summer. There’s something about the local shows, the animals, the food and the random stalls selling things you never knew you needed. What's not to love!

August - Why I’m still talking about CHD's - Sixteen years after surgery!

Every year I write a post about CHDs on the anniversary of the girls surgery. It’s not always easy because it brings up a lot of memories but it’s important to me to keep raising awareness. It reminds me how far we’ve come as a family and how strong the girls are.

September - How to make Blackberry Jam!

I was ridiculously proud of myself for this one! I’d never made jam before and it actually turned out amazing. It felt like such a wholesome, autumn-y thing to do. I had to share!

October - My go to Autumn/Winter boots!

I don’t do many reviews these days but when I find something I love I have to share it. These boots are my favourites. Comfy, warm and they go with everything. I’ve basically been living in them for a few years!

Looking back over these posts makes me so proud. It’s been another year of ups and downs, laughter, a few tears and plenty of cups of tea in between. Blogging still brings me so much joy even after all these years and I’m already excited to see what the next year of posts will look like! Thank you all for reading!!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #36

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. Let's do our gratitude question first this week...what's the best thing about your home, and have you taken time to enjoy it lately?

It has to be my armchair in the living room. It is my seat and no one else sits in it, it’s my little sanctuary! It has moulded itself to my body shape because I've spent so many just five minutes in it which somehow turned into an hour. hehehe My chair sees it all: blogging marathons, TV binges, lots of chats with my family, planning the week ahead, me making phone calls and even the occasional snack session. It’s one of those small comforts that makes a home feel like home.

2. Do you like squash? Of the varieties listed, which one's your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Is squash of some sort on your Thanksgiving menu??

acorn, butternut, delicata, spaghetti, zucchini, crookneck (yellow squash), patty pan.

I’m really not a fan of squash at all. I’ve tried to make myself like it over the years, roasted, pureed, mashed and in soups but I just don't love it. If I had to choose one I’d probably go with butternut squash just because it’s the one I see most often in recipes and it blends into soups nicely so I don’t have to face its full flavour head on.

There are no Thanksgiving celebrations here, it's not something we celebrate on this side of the pond but I will be sat here drooling over all the amazing food photos that I see.

3. Last time you were 'squashed in' somewhere, or felt squashed?

The last time I felt properly squashed in was 100% on the bus. It was one of those days where you think where it will be a quiet bus ride but no, it was like the entire town had decided to take that exact bus at that exact minute. People everywhere, bags everywhere and elbows everywhere. A guy with a huge rucksack ended up sitting next to me and he took more than his half of the seat all while I had a couple of shopping bags on my lap. Hmmf. Of course the driver took off like he was late for an important appointment and the guy was leaning into me, squishing me against the window. I was very glad to get off the bus at my stop.

4. Have you ever played squash? What about other 'racquet sports' such as racquetball, tennis, pickleball, badminton, table tennis (ping pong)? Are these sports something you enjoy?

I haven’t played squash since I was at school, back when PE teachers thought making us chase a tiny ball at full speed was character building but those racquet sports were my favourites too. Whacking a ball as hard as I could was a lot of fun! Tennis, badminton even a bit of ping pong, I loved all of that in PE lessons but only because I wasn't having to run the cross country in the rain.

I don’t really enjoy playing sports now, there's too much running and too much coordination involved, I much prefer watching from the side lines or on the TV from the comfort of my armchair.

5. Something in today's society or culture that feels like a 'racket' to you? If you don't like that one, tell us about a place you've been recently where there was a lot of 'racket'.

Shrinkflation is absolutely a racket! You know those biscuit or chocolate bars that look like a normal treat on the shelf but when you open them they’re basically a bite sized version of what you remember. Crisps are getting smaller too with less in a packet. It’s pay more, get less and don’t ask questions. It’s not just food either, little everyday items seem to be shrinking while prices inch up. I can’t help but feel a bit puzzled every time I pick up something I used to buy as a full size only to find it’s now fun sized and barely counts and definitely isn't fun!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It’s funny how hearing snow forecast this week doesn’t make me excited like it used to. Snow days aren’t really a thing anymore, there’s never enough snow to actually make school or work close and no one gets the day off now. There's always just a light dusting that barely covers the grass and leaves everyone mutters about back in my day. My girls used to love it and would happily freeze before they would come back inside. I've said it now though, watch it snow lots and ruin my birthday plans over the next couple of days. lol

13 Years Blogging!

It has been thirteen years and two days since I started this little blog of mine! It somehow seems crazy to me that I have been tapping away on my keyboard for this long, sharing random bits of my life, opinions and little joys with the internet. It started as something small and somehow turned into this big, wonderful part of my world. I’ve laughed, learned, cried over broken links and photo uploads that wouldn’t cooperate and grown so much since my first post went live. When I hit publish for the very first time I never imagined I’d still be doing it thirteen years later. Blogging has changed a lot since then and so have I but my love for it is still as strong as ever.

My blog is my little piece of the internet where I can ramble and connect with people who just get it. There’s something addictive about creating something from scratch and watching it come together even if it’s just a chatty post about what I’ve been up to. Some people unwind by painting, others go for a run but I write blog posts and the best part is that people actually read it! Every time someone leaves a comment or messages me saying they related to something I wrote makes my day.

If someone told me thirteen years ago that I’d end up friends with people from all over the world because of a little blog, I’d have laughed but it’s true! Blogging has introduced me to some of the kindest, funniest and most inspiring people. I’ve chatted with bloggers in the US, swapped messages with creators in Australia and bonded over tea and biscuits, virtually of course with others here in the UK! It still amazes me how blogging can connect people who might never meet otherwise. I think that’s what makes the blogging community so special. Even though platforms have changed the sense of community hasn’t disappeared. Bloggers still cheer each other on, share tips and celebrate milestones like old friends. It’s such a supportive world and I’ve met people I truly consider friends for life because of it.

Thirteen years of blogging teaches you a lot. You get very good at laughing off mistakes. Posting something before it’s finished and totally messing up the layout of my blog. Been there, done that! On Sunday I messed up, my Project 365 post read the 19th - 15th of November, it should have been the 9th. lol I’ve learned that perfection is overrated!

Looking back I’m proud of this little corner of the internet I’ve built. It’s grown and changed with me from the clunky posts of my early days and let’s not talk about the un-edited photos from years ago. It’s been a journey full of lessons, laughs and late night writing sessions that turned into something I truly love. Thirteen years in I still feel happy when publishing a post, that’s how I know blogging isn’t just a phase it’s part of who I am now.

So here’s to thirteen years of blogging and hopefully many more ahead. To everyone who’s read, commented, or connected with me over the years, thank you!!

Our weekly meal plan! 17th - 23rd November! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I am not usually this happy on a Monday morning but it is my birthday later this week and I am very excited. I have a few things to look forward to as well as cake and presents!

We had such a cosy family weekend. Nothing wild, nothing Instagrammable and nothing that required leaving the sofa for long, just the way I like it! We rotated between watching TV, eating and pottering around the house pretending to be productive. Those are my favourite types of weekends! I didn't even go to my dad's on Friday as the weather was so bad with the wind and rain. I would have loved to have seen him but I didn't want to be going out in the cold and then catching a cold. I know being cold and wet doesn't directly cause a cold but it does increase the chance of catching one and just once I would like a birthday without a snotty nose and cough!

Last weeks meal plan went well. We ate most of what I’d planned but I did shuffle a couple of meals around because life happens and on Saturday my family decided they wanted home made pizza and as they were all home they made their pizzas themselves. Letting them make their own pizzas is one of my finest parenting hacks. No effort from me, all the toppings for them and no arguments about not wanting certain toppings, everyone can ruin their own pizza however they like. hehehe

If you have come here for meal ideas this week, you are going to be disappointed because the meals that I do make are going to be quick and easy. I am not even going to plan what day we're having anything as things are going to be all over the place.

On the menu this week we have:

At some point on one of the days where I’m out and about, I’ll grab something from town. I’m popping into M&S so there’s a strong chance I’ll come home with something fancy. I’ve heard the Christmas party food is out so I might just grab some picky bits for us to eat.

We will be having a feast at the all you can eat place in town one evening. We haven’t been in ages and it’s one of those places where I always promise I won’t overdo it and then I absolutely do! We always walk out with full bellies and smiles on our faces.

Another day we’re eating out again and I already know exactly what I’m getting: prawn cocktail as a starter, steak and chips and a dessert of some sort.

We’ve got three glamorous nights of freezer diving. The freezer is a lucky dip at the moment but it all needs using up because the big Christmas freezer shop is coming soon and that requires space and I really need to defrost the freezer at some point too. That is on my to do list for sometime soon!

Finally on Sunday I’m making a roast dinner at home instead of going out. A proper one. The last roast before Christmas so I’m determined to make it count.

What are you eating this week?