#Project 365 21st August-3rd September

I was away for the weekend so missed posting for the week so I have decided to do two weeks in one post. 

Sunday 21st August

As yet we don't have a hosepipe ban yet, Craig decided to do the annual job of clearing out the gutters, especially as I had complained about the dripping from them onto the car waking me up last night whilst it was raining. Whilst he was up there he also discovered another load of wasps so he used more treatment and sealed up where they were getting in.

Monday 22nd August

My regular weekday breakfast at the moment, Greek yogurt, granola and raspberries. Yum.

Tuesday 23rd August

Decided to go foraging whilst taking Penny on her evening walk after seeing this delicious recipe.

Wednesday 24th August

My new knitting project- a scarf in the colours of Ravenclaw house from Harry Potter for Matthew. I will have to do one in yellow and black for Emma next.

Thursday 25th August

GCSE results day and Matthew passed everything easily

Friday 26th August

Whilst in Waterstones I found the perfect book for Emma. This will go along with her idea of visiting every Waterstones in the UK.

Saturday 27th August

The hotel room we stayed in near Newbury ready for our visit to Highclere the next day.

Sunday 28th August

After 5 years of waiting I finally got to walk up the path to 'Downton Abbey' Lady Deborah came for a visit :)

Monday 29th August

A quick visit to Henley on Thames before heading home. 

Tuesday 30th August

After getting Matthew enrolled in college this was our traditional holiday treat. For me that is a maple syrup latte and a Boston creme doughnut.

Wednesday 31st August

Penny decided to help me clear the area where we are going to put the new fire pit we bought in a sale. Once cleared I put a weed barrier and stones on top before putting the fire pit in the centre.

Thursday 1st September

This may be the last evening I can sit out in the garden as rain is forecast for the next couple of weeks and then we will be well into Autumn. I have also come up with a long list of ideas as to what I want to do with the garden over the next few years.

Friday 2nd August

The ceremonial burning of the schoolwork. Emma started the tradition when she left school. After the results were out then her and her friends arranged to have a bonfire to burn their school work and Matthew has been looking forward to doing the same. If we let them burn everything they would be there for hours. We will limit what they can burn as it is more the symbolism and then they can put the rest in the recycling bin.

Saturday 3rd September. 

I was in a creative mood but I was not able to work on anything where I needed to concentrate as I knew I would keep being disturbed. This was the compromise as it is the diamond art equivalent of paint by numbers.

Gratitude in August

 Inspired by Kim at Life as Kim I am going to list what I have been grateful for each month.  It is also to remind myself of the slower, simpler life that I want to lead. It has been proven by research that people who write down what they are grateful for feel more positive, relish good experiences and are more optimistic and happier with their lives. Isn't that something we all want?

So in August I have been grateful for

1^st- Cleaning videos on Tiktok to motivate me to get deep cleaning and organizing done.

2^nd- Ikea being open late so I don’t have to go at the weekend when it is too busy for me.

3^rd – finding my first tomato. I have tried in the past to grow them without success.

4^th – Time to trace and cut out the pattern pieces for my next sewing project.

5^th- Finally getting to see ‘Six, the Musical’ after it being cancelled four times previously.

6^th- 29 years of marriage to Craig.

7^th – Not having to cook lunch as we went out with some of Craig’s fellow Masons.

8^th -Emma for making brownies for me to take to the W.I meeting tomorrow.

9^th – Being able to go to W.I. meetings.

10^th – Emma helping me with setting up to get the best photograph for the competition one of my W.I.’s is running next month.

11^th- Time to relax at Craft club after a stressful day at work.

12^th – Being able to sit in the garden and enjoy the weather.

13^th – Losing  1 1/2lbs at Slimming World.

14^th – Catching up with friends who don’t live nearby.

15^th – The cooler weather ( I really don’t like it when the temperatures are too high ).

16^th-Having no problems with my teeth following check up at dentists.

17^th- Having a gardener to maintain the garden. If it were left to us then it would look like a jungle. He only mows the lawn, trims the hedges and when needed cuts plants back. I don't know what I will do when he retires as he has been looking after the garden for as long as we have been in the house.

18^th- Being able to knit without any interruptions which never happens normally.

19^th – A quiet stress free day in work, especially after the last few weeks preparing for an audit.

20^th -A lovely day at the seaside with friends and dogs and lots of fresh air and fish and chips.

21^st- Craig for clearing the guttering after the overflowing gutter kept me awake due to the rain.

22^nd – Being able to do click and collect for my food shop. It saves time and money as I am not tempted to put in extra goodies as I am walking around the store.

23^rd – Being able to pick blackberries on my walk with Penny.

24^th -  A peaceful and relaxing evening after a stressful day in work.

25^th- Matthew getting the GCSE results he needs to be able to do the courses he wants at college

26^th- A neighbour’s daughter coming round with free doughnuts and sandwiches which would have otherwise ended up in the bin. (She is working for Tim Hortons in a new store and it was part of her training)

27^th- Being able to visit friends before they move to Ireland.

28^th- Visiting Highclere Castle as an early birthday present. I have been able to tick this off my bucket list now.

29^th- Visiting a country craft fair and finding the salted caramel cheese I have been looking for since having some at a friends house a couple of years ago. They couldn't remember the name of the company as they also bought it at a Country Fair. I have got the details so that we can both order more.

30^th- Matthew enrolling in college without any delays. The college changed the enrolment process to appointments rather than having everyone turn up en masse after getting their GCSE results when we had to go with Emma.

31^st -Being able to sort out a new mortgage before the interest rates rise much further. At least in these uncertain times we know that the mortgage will not rise now for 2 years.

#Project 365 14th-20th August

Sunday 14th August

We visited some friends and the cows that.live in the field at the bottom of their garden came over to say hello.

Monday 15th August

It was W.I. craft group tonight and we made infinity threaded bracelets.  I wasn't the only one who forgot whether we had gone left or right. 😀

Tuesday 16th August

I made a haddock and pea risotto for dinner that was topped with a poached egg. It reminded me of kedgeree,  a dish I love.

Wednesday 17th August

We discovered the I am Groot series of shorts on Disney+ and ended up watching them all. I hope they make more because Groot is so cute and funny.

Thursday 18th August

Finally got round to working on one of my knitting W.I.P's which will be a Harry Potter hat for my nephew. The pattern book comes with some other projects that you can make in rhe House colours (or any colour combo ) of your choice.

Friday 19th August

We met up with some friends for a drink and it was in a perfect pub for Instagram shots. Very pretty.

Saturday 20th August

We decided to ignore the weather forecast and headed to St Anne's near Blackpool and let Penny have some fun on the sand and then enjoy some fish and chips. Thankfully it stayed dry though it was quite windy and I came home and had to have a shower to get rid of the sand that had got stuck to me.

Hope you all have had a good week and been happier once the temperatures cooled down.

Happy Homemaker Monday / Menu Plan 15th August 2022

 

How quickly the weeks are going by, every year seems to be getting faster. Maybe it is because my life is pretty routine. The weather here in the North West of England has been much too hot for my liking and I am glad things are forecast to get cooler.

Weather

Looking forward to

Going to the Lytham St Anne's and spending time on the beach with Penny and wearing her out playing in the sand and amongst the dunes before eating fish and chips.

Around the house

I have a pile of paperwork that needs to be sorted and filed as well as old papers to be shredded. My knitting is calling out for attention so I will work on one of those projects so that I can get it finished. Matthew's room is also crying out for attention and he will be getting on cleaning that, no doubt under duress.

Menu Plan

I want to continue my good efforts at Slimming World and have lost another 1 1/2lbs. Slimming World is very family friendly when it comes to meals so I don't have to cook a separate meal for myself, I can continue to make only 1 type of meal for everyone.

Monday- Tuna, sweetcorn, noodles and salad

Tuesday - Haddock and pea risotto that I didn't make last week as it was too warm to cook.

Wednesday -Baked sweet potato and preferred fillings

Thursday -Turkey steak filled with garlic quark and wrapped in Parma Ham served with green vegetables

Friday - Chicken stir fry

Saturday -Fish and chips ( I get weighed on Saturdays so I have the rest of the week to be on track)

Sunday - Spaghetti Bolognese

I hope you all have a good week and I am looking forward to finding out what you have planned for this week.

'#Project 365 7th-13th August 2022

Sunday 7th August

I went out with Craig and Penny for a walk in the woods as I needed a break from the housework. Penny loves being off the lead and free to roam so places away from the road like woods are ideal.

Monday 8th August 

 It was my turn to take cakes to the W.I meeting so I asked Emma to make a batch of brownies as out and would not be back in time to make them ready for tomorrow.

Tuesday 9th August

I saw these flowers outside the hall where we have our W.I meeting and just thought how much they looked like fried eggs. I have no idea what type of flowers they really are. If any one knows then please let me know in the comments.

Wednesday 10h August

I have never seen this type of butterfly before so I just had to get a picture. Unfortunately it was resting on something that wasn't so pleasant. Yuck!!

Thursday 11th August

It was the first day of the audit at work and the first real day of the heatwave. I had craft group at my nearest W.I where we are making decorations to go on a Christmas tree which will be auctioned off for Francis House. We have decided to go with a Royal theme and this is part of my contribution. There was another seven and I am going to attempt to make crowns out of seed beads. Wish me luck.

Friday 12th August

As it was too hot to cook we decided to go to Costco and order pizza. As we were waiting we had a look around and I really wanted to get this Christmas decoration. Unfortunately, Craig wouldn't let me. Maybe a return visit on my own might be in the near future.

Saturday 13th August

                       

We put this cooling vest on Penny and kept her out of the sun. Like me she isn't a fan of the heat or the sun.

I hope you all are well and didn't let the heat get too you too much.

Happy Homemaker Monday / Menu Plan 8th-14th August

 

I have a busy week in work this week preparing for an audit and I am also out three evenings this week with various W.I. activities. I am not looking forward to the heatwave but at least being in work means that I will be cool as the office is always about 10 degrees centigrade lower than it is outside and we do not have air conditioning. It is great in the summer but not so much in the winter.

Weather

Menu Plan

As things are busy I am keeping it quick and simple this week

Monday -Spaghetti Bolognese

Tuesday - Chicken Fajita Bake

Wednesday -Sausage and Mash

Thursday - Homemade Turkey burgers and Salad

Friday - Smoked Haddock and Pea Risotto

Saturday -Curried Mince Beef (we didn't have it last Saturday)

Sunday -Visiting friends and eating with them.

Looking Forward to

• Seeing our friends on Sunday. They live about 30 miles away so we don't see them as often as we would like to.
• Finishing my travel journal for Colorado
• The weekend knowing that the audit is over.

On my To-Do List

• We are still having issues with wasps hanging around so I have finally persuaded Craig to get the professionals in to sort it out so I will have to arrange the visit
• It is my turn to make a cake for the W.I meeting so that will need to be done this evening ready for tomorrow.
• I have ordered my food shop to collect today so I mustn't forget to do that.
• Now I have sorted out the garage and made a laundry area I want a fun sign to put in there along with a lost socks sign pegboard.

Inspiration

I have chosen this not only for helping me with my weight loss but also as a general motivator for helping me get things done when I am feel like I am struggling.

I hope you all have a good week.

Project 365 -1st -6th August

Monday 1st August- The towel cupboard needed to be organised and some old and worn out towels taken out to use as rags. This picture is the 'after'

Tuesday 2nd August - A trip to Ikea for a storage unit also meant other items were purchased including food bags, drawer/shelf liners, a lazy susan, a travel cutlery set (it is a nightmare trying to find forks at work) and some biscuits.

Wednesday 3rd August - my first tomato. I am so proud that I have managed to nurture a plant to produce something that we can eat. Normally I don't keep anything alive long enough.

Thursday 4th August-Traced and cut out the pattern pieces for my next sewing project, though I have no idea when I might be able to do anymore on it at the moment.

Friday 5th August- Finally getting to see 'Six, The Musical'. It is the 5th attempt to see it, the first four having been cancelled due to Covid over the last two years. I really enjoyed it.

Satruday 6th August.- Completed my first week at Slimming World and lost 3 1/2 lbs which is 2 more than I was expecting. So pleased and proud of myself.