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Disclaimer
Beverley has prepared the content of Bev's World irresponsibly and carelessly. She therefore disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, originality or completeness of the drivel presented on this blog or on other linked websites or on any subsequent links. She vehemently denies that the information may be relied upon for any reason. Beverley shall not be liable for inflicting laughter, shame, disgust, torrents of tears and the eventual desiccation or crashing boredom on readers.

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Monday 18 March 2024

Windows and lamb dinner - what a life I have :)

Monday 18th March 2024


Well we survived the weekend and this lamb dinner was the food highlight!  It was a £10 leg of lamb from Iceland (thanks to Elle for getting it for me) and it made a dinner for the three of us plus enough left over (525g) to make a lamb madras which has gone in the freezer.


The rest of the weekend was busy up to that dinner!  A busy, enjoyable morning at the huddle, then I helped himself with the windows on the motorhome, he's had them tinted.  Why?  Well it's not a pose thing, by tinting the windows of our motorhome we will enjoy benefits such as increased privacy, temperature comfort, UV protection, and decreased glare.  Because our motorhome is aging it will also give it a fresh look.  Replacing windows costs and fortune, I'm talking thousands of pounds and up to now because the windows are made from polycarbonate it's not been possible, I won't go into the science of it - BUT YES I UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE I'VE HAD TO WATCH LOTS OF UNINTERESTING YOUTUBE VIDEOS WITH HIM :).  Anyway we found a company that finally does it, but it was in Torquay, so I had the job of finding out where the cover stuff was sourced from.  America, but they also had a distributor in the Netherlands.  I contacted them for more information and it turned out a chap in Aldridge could help us.  Tony has been doing similar for years Shades Solar Films Walsall: House Window Tints Films Walsall and he's now doing this too.  He was so helpful in understanding our needs and urgency and got it done in time for him to go to work yesterday afternoon.  He's done a great job too. 
 

Before on the left, after on the right, you can't even see the curtains anymore and you can still see out from inside the van perfectly.  

Yeah, that was how exciting my weekend was. 

He went at 2 and I'd planned a relaxation afternoon, manicure watching crap on tele and Aryn comes and plonks himself down on the sofa saying do you want to watch DUNE, erm not really no but because he rarely does it, I said "of course" :) 

Anyway, it's Monday and I've got lots to get done but I'm not putting any pressure on myself as to what I manage to complete, I've got all week whilst he's away.

Have a great day, let's stay on track.

Mwah, luv ya 


Love me 




Saturday 16 March 2024

Weekend ahead - I will survive!

Saturday 16th March 2024


I'm back on track after my half a pound gain on Thursday, managed a day within my calories Friday enjoying my meals.  Scrambled egg on toast, absolutely delicious and spinach and ricotta tortelloni for dinner after a busy day, something that only take 5 minutes to cook from frozen is always welcome.  The fact they were reduced to 80p when I bought them was an added bonus!

I made a batch of pickled eggs yesterday morning as we love a pickled egg, we also had scrambled egg on toast and to use the other eggs and a tub of cottage cheese that needed using up, I made a crustless quiche which the boys inhaled between them!  

Crustless quiche

6 eggs

1 pot of fat free cottage cheese (I used cheese and chive)

half an onion

1 pepper 

3 slices smoked bacon 

1/2 tsp garlic granules

salt and pepper 

tomatoes to top


Chop and fry bacon and veg (use any veggies you have, use ham instead of bacon) 

whisk together eggs, cottage cheese and seasoning.  Mix everything together and put in an ovenproof dish - I lined mine with baking paper.  top with tomatoes and cook for 40-45 minutes in fan oven at 160.

I also topped it with a bit of grated cheese.

We had a busy day doing stuff to the motorhome but by the time we'd finished, I cooked us a delicious bit of rump (1/2 price offer in M&S) and had it with Cheesy green vegetable bake the boys had curly fries with theirs.  It was a fab bit of beef, I know not everyone likes rare beef but it's the best way to eat it. 

We'd done a lot in the day and it showed by us being in bed by 9!  I was wide awake at 1am though, hot flushes turned into full on sweats and I gave up on trying to get back to sleep, so came down for an hour, went back up around 2.15 and managed to get a few more hours. 

I've done my physio this morning, had the morning off yesterday, it is paying off.  I was able to help him with the motorhome yesterday which involved a lot of standing about that I wouldn't have been able to do a couple of months ago.

My knees playing up now though, you can't win can ya, gotta love an aging body :) 

On that note, I'm off to get ready for work, looking forward to the huddle and the rest of my day.

Mwah, luv ya

Love me x




Thursday 14 March 2024

Ready to take the hit on the scales

Thursday 14th March 2024


I never stopped yesterday until we sat down for our dinner about 7!  After a lovely huddle, I got home and made us breakfast, well it was 11 does that still count as breakfast, I guess not, so we had brunch and we had mushrooms because I needed to use them up, then I remembered there was 2 burgers in the freezer so we ended up with a burger and mushrooms sandwich and a slice of plastic cheese, it was must tastier than it sounds :)

Then we spend ages driving around trying to find barge flashing, yes I know what they are NOW!  I also don't care if I ever hear those words again in my life because they're not easy to just find on the internet but now I know where to get them coated in grey if you ever need them lol!  We get them YAY, then as we're driving back, he realises he'll also need screws (eyes to the sky and deep sigh!)  We get them, that takes 2 stops, then we're driving back and he sees a graphics shop that he's passed many times but its usually shut, today it's open so we have to stop there, but they can't help, they do however give him a place to try so we drive there.  This means we are out of the house for almost 3 hours in total I reckon.  

Finally we're home, I make a cuppa when he states, I don't the adapter for the bit that goes in the drill.  Can I point out, whatever it is he usually wants, he either doesn't know what they're called or the have a different name in Ireland, so finding them on google is fun - NOT!  I work out what he wants and go to Screwfix to get it.   I know you want to know, it was a pack of Erbauer Socket Hex Nut Drivers.  

All the time he's doing his work outside, I'm having to remember to tell him what a wonderful job he's done of my lean-to because that's now going to be a daily occurrence so he feels appreciated and I get other jobs done.  🤣

Eventually I'm home, Aryn and I agree we'll do double at the gym Friday because it's too late to go now and I haven't started dinner.  We had chicken and chips for tea, I made coleslaw to use up some red and white cabbage out of the fridge, added some onion, cheese and sultanas and it was lush. 

Hands up, I didn't track at all yesterday, so I will take whatever the scales throws at me and start afresh.   As the quote says, "you are the product of what you do everyday" and I'm happy with me.  Yes I want to lose a few more pounds, I don't want to be skinny, just healthy, I also want to enjoy life, that for me includes delicious food and wine.

I'm not sure what we've got today, there's some veggies to go with something, I just found a pack of tuna steaks in the freezer that have been there a long time so I might use them although they would probably be better hidden in a fish pie or pasta dish.  I'm just fed up of food shopping, it doesn't seem to last and it costs a bloody fortune.  

Anyway, physio done, showered and ready for work, so I better get my ass moving!  Not gonna lie, I didn't want to get up to do my physio cos I'm not sleeping as much as I like too, I'm getting enough but I want more :)

Have a great day, wish me luck on those scales - eek!

Mwah, luv ya


Love me x

z

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Here's to a back on track day!

Wednesday 13th March 2024


Finally managed a day on track!  I also had 5.8 portions of fruit and veg and did 8527 stepsso I'm pleased with that, persistence pays off hopefully!

This dinner was epic, better than the one we had Sunday to be honest, the beef was leftovers but the spuds were reduced when I nipped to M&S to look for bargains, I was good too, only bought the offers and whoopsies.

I'd 100% buy these again, I didn't use the verde drizzle, but those smashed potatoes were perfection, you get potatoes and you get potatoes and these were really good, usually £3.
Huddles were great as usual, Tuesdays just fly by to be honest so it was bedtime before I knew it.

Only the one huddle this morning, my days started in the usual way, washing up, a load of washing in the machine, feed the cats then physio!  Rock and roll baby. 

Here's to a great day, make it a good one.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x


Tuesday 12 March 2024

Memories sometimes pour from you eyes

 Tuesday 12th March 2024 



Well I had a busy morning yesterday, put together the huddle chat - WHY IS IT SO HARD TO LOSE WEIGHT! - now there's a topic!  Whilst doing that, I did a few loads of washing, then did the washing up and some tidying up before going to Aldi for a few bits of which they actually didn't have half of what I wanted, but still managed to spend £30!

When I got back, I tidied up the decking and put some cushions out to see how it all looked now he's finished the lean to.  I'm really pleased with it, a little wind proof corner for me and waterproof too of course.  It'll look lovely with some flowers growing up that trellis in the summer.

 

Food wise, I finally had the hot dogs I'd been craving for weeks, had them as my brunch so two meals in one at least!  

791 calories but damn they were good, 2 would've been enough though, or two rolls with 4 hotdogs, let's be honest its the onions that are the best bit.

Dinner time was a weird concoction but it was tasty, I wanted macaroni cheese but knew it wouldn't go down well without meat so I bought pork chops as lamb is way too expensive.  I felt I should put a veg on the plate and found a pepper in the fridge and some plum tomatoes so that'll do, then added garlic bread.  863 calories though, so quite high and I did go over again on my calories by 390, I'll get back on it properly, I'm not off track completely, it's being tracked at least. 


We did go back to the gym, managed 77 zone minutes with that and the work I'd done in the garden, plus almost 8k steps so happy with that.  It's telling me I burned 2416 calories and I consumed a few less than that so here's hoping for a maintain this Thursday because I'm running out of days!

I'm not giving myself a hard time about it, it's a strange month, 3 years since mom passed this month and it feels different because the pain and stress of the difficult years are starting to fade so I'm remembering the wonderful times we had together which of course is making me miss her in a way I haven't since she passed.  Working in the garden reminds me of the wonderful hours we spent out there, I completely changed the living room after she died so there's no memories in the visual of that room but the garden, well, she's everywhere.  Silly things like looking at the summerhouse and thinking of the time she denied breaking the glass whilst throwing her bricks lol.  Even the flowers I'm planning have memories of where they were in the garden when she was here.  Oh I need to stop because my eyes are starting to water. 

Time to get ready for work, here's to a great day, lots of giggles both at work and at home.  I may not have mom in my life anymore but I still have a house full of love and laughter and for that I'm thankful.  

Mwah, luv ya 


Love me xx



Monday 11 March 2024

Looking forward to the weather getting better!

Monday 11th March 2024 


I've had a great weekend, we've been spending time together working in the garden putting together a lean to so I can sit and eat outside, I'm going to tidy it all up this morning.  We were one piece of feather edge short when he had finished the side and the shop was closed by then.  It'll all get finished by the weekend so it's all good. It looks fab and I love it, I can't wait to sit up a table to eat, the house isn't big enough to have one indoors.  I hope it stops raining today so I can clear up the rest of the garden, it didn't stop yesterday! 

The rest of the weekend went by in a blur if I'm honest and for the first time this year, I didn't track yesterday, time to get back on it this morning but I have enjoyed everything I've eaten this weekend.  I went and got myself a Bounty Easter egg on the way home and I then proceeded to eat it over the weekend, Aryn kept hinting that he couldn't resist the charity ones so in the end I used that as an excuse to give them their Easter eggs that I'd hidden and for me to eat mine.  1008 calories in it and it's out of my system now.

Meal wise, we had chicken and pizza Saturday for tea, I only had 2 quarters of the pizza, which was 422 calories and a couple of chicken drumsticks, managed some salad with that too.  Then yesterday we had a roast beef dinner which was perfect after the day he'd had outside in the rain, thankfully undercover though because he'd do the lean to he was just putting the side up.

I've got the day to myself  YAY, he's gone to work, Aryn will be off to school in a bit, yeah I've got stuff to get done, actually a lot of stuff but I'm still gonna find an hour to do a bit of chilling start a new jigsaw maybe, finally finished the Wasjig one which I didn't enjoy, too many bloody santas and I'm all done with Christmas for the rest of the year now! 

I didn't track yesterday but I didn't go mad either, if I'm good the rest of the week, maybe I can get a maintain.  Either way, I'll take it, I had me a few glasses of fizz yesterday for mothers day, she may not be here but she's remembered and missed, I was okay till I'd seem my siblings had posted photos of her, that tipped me over the edge. 

And how easy is it to overindulge if you take your eye off the ball!  Just the odd bit of cheese when you're making a sandwich or a slice of beef as you're dishing up the dinner!  So easy, not to mention a bigger glass of fizz than you would usually have!

Back on it though as the weight loss is making me feel healthier, although my pain was bad Saturday night Sunday, on a positive though I had managed to stand all the way through our huddle chat, that's the first time in a very long time!  I'd done a lot of steps Saturday over 10k which for me is a lot these days so no wonder I was in pain by the end of it, then standing a lot in the garden being a gofer so pain was to be expected.

Well I better get my 'to do' list started, huddle chat to put together, garden to tidy, bit of shopping to get done, think I need to go to B&Q AGAIN! I want to get some plants too but I think it's still a bit early in the season, I'll put that on my 'to do another day' list.  I love the normality of my life right now, it's not boring, we laugh lots and enjoy our days, can't ask for no more - well other than a lottery win! 

Here's to a good day, getting stuff done quickly so I can enjoy doing nice stuff!  

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx



Saturday 9 March 2024

What's made you Sm;)e this week?

 Saturday 9th March 2024


No blog from me yesterday but I did have a lovely day.  We had a lie in till 9, never do that but it was so good, that was the reason I didn't blog or do my physio but I've done it this morning instead.  Once up we had eggs on toast for breakfast before continuing with the 'lean to' in the garden which is now complete and very pleased with it I am.  Can't wait to sit outside and eat my lunch.

Speaking of food, Thursday night we had pie they had curly fries, I had butternut squash cooked in my Ninja, I forgot how much I like it.  We also had posh rice pudding with clotted cream and I did laugh when Aryn asked, 'Why have they put pepper on this", I pointed out it was nutmeg :) 


Last night was fakeaway Friday and that went down well too.   The butter chicken sauce from FarmFoods was good but the Spice Tailor one wasn't that good at all which was a first for their range. 


    

Got lots of pot noodles for the food bank today, they were on offer for 80p in the Nisa on Stroud Avenue, when stuff is on offer like this, it's a great time to get more for your money for the food bank.  Hot Dogs are only 70p in Sainsbury's, that's cheaper than B&M which I have to say isn't that cheap when I walked round on Thursday.


It was nice taking a voluntary break from social media yesterday and I'm glad to say I've finally been allowed to reset my password and back up my photos to make sure I don't lose them.  I'm working on backing up the posts, the funny one liners mom has said over time. 


I'm ready for the morning huddle, we've covered self care this week and I've realised my self care is much improved these days.  I read someone had put on Facebook the other day "saw 2 people laughing there head off, and I asked myself, when was the last time I laughed like that??" As I read it I realised, we laugh all the time, this house is full of laughter and then I get to go to work and Elle and I do the same, we're always laughing too, in addition to doing our singing duet which we appreciate our talent but not sure anyone else does lol.

I'm thinking Pizza tonight, oh in case you didn't know I gained a pound on Thursday and looking back I'm not surprised, I went over my limit 5 out of the 7 days I hadn't been to the gym at all and I'd indulged a little more. Now I'm not gonna lie, I've gone over the last two days as well but it's all tracked and under control. He's back at work on Monday so I can get back into a routine. This isn't a race for me, I want to be able to lose the weight but have a little blowout when I fancy one. I want an Easter egg, I never bother about chocolate but for some reason it's on my mind. I have bought them eggs so I might have to pinch one of them or get my own, maybe I can hold out till Easter Sunday.

Right I'm off, here's to a great weekend.

Mwah, luv ya


Love me x