Let the declutter commence...

Sunday 9th May 2021

Life is too short to spend it at war with yourself.

Well let's just say I've been away a long time!  Yesterday didn't go as planned which is okay, these things happen, so my plasterer had his second covid jab the day before and it knocked him about so he didn't come.  I'd already disconnected the tv/sky box put furniture in middle of the room and because he's hopefully gonna come today instead, I didn't want to put everything back.  Then my sister suggested a duvet day which didn't sound like a bad idea, I didn't quite have one of them but after working on the morning which was fab as always and then I was on the phone to my brother for almost 2 hours discussing plans and flights, so once I'd done that, I turned my phone off, watched a movie on my laptop and Alfie and I were in bed by 6ish, well I must have fell asleep pretty quick because I woke up just before midnight and I've not been able to get back to sleep since.  

A positive that's come from laying here for hours is I've made the radical decision, I'm doing an extreme declutter on my office, all the stuff I've been keeping because I might one day use it is going, I haven't scrapbooked in years and I've realised I'm unlikely to ever again and the scrapbooking I have done in the past is just shoved on a shelf and never looked at so why do it or keep it.  It served the purpose at the time, I enjoyed doing it but crafting ain't my thing anymore.  I love to crochet and that's enough to occupy my brain and hands and now my shoulder seems fixed, I'll be able to get back to doing that again.   I'm hoping by the end of the day to have got rid of a load of stuff!

I've also come to the conclusion that the larger of the two spare rooms can stay as a guest room with the double bed in and what is at the moment my office can be where I do my yoga, it'll be more than big enough I reckon once it's decluttered, the book cases won't be in the way, I think I can make it work and if not I'll continue to do it in the living room.  Now I can use furniture I already have in the spare room and I won't have to buy any new stuff.  See lack of sleep has just saved me money = bonus and I can have a snooze in the day if I need one or an early night again tonight, but not 6pm early!

I've been playing on Pinterest for the last hour trying to work out how to arrange my living room so as to fit everything it, I think I need a trip to IKEA, I want some of these to make the units I already have look fresh in the living room.  Cheaper than having alcove cupboards built ain't it! 

I also want a nice big rug too I think.

But first to declutter, it's half four now, I'm going to try one more time to get an hour or two sleep but if not, I'll get up and start my mission! 

Wish me luck, have a great day x

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

It's raining again....

Saturday 8th May 2021

A negative mind will never give you a positive life. 

Had a lovely early night, actually I'm really pleased with the sleep I'm getting, especially when you compare it to what it was like for the first few months of the year.  

I'm moving more too which is great, over 11k steps yesterday and 66 active minutes which means Alfie is actually walking not just standing and smelling so good for both of us. 

My knee wasn't too happy about all this movement but that painkiller gel helped a lot and it's just a little tight and crunchy this morning so as I get more active and lose some weight that will help take the pressure off it.  This is not a race, I've spent the last few years losing my level of health I had, so I'm not going to get it back in a week or even a month.  

No yoga this morning because there's no room, all my furniture is in the centre of the living room covered with clothes ready for the plasterer to come do the living room - YAY!  All I need now is to take the curtains down which I'll do when I've done this and had my shower, don't wanna be flashing and terrifying the neighbours!  It's all coming together slowly, I reckon I'll be able to start painting upstairs in another 2 weeks so that's the weekend of the 22nd which will give me time to then hopefully get it carpeted up there before getting the shelving units fitted first weekend in June.  I'll then have a space to do my yoga every morning and a mat big enough so that Alfie isn't completely in the way, although I'll get him a bed for that room, but I'll guess he won't use it! 

The yoga seems to have helped my shoulder so I'm hoping if I keep it up then I'll be okay to paint and it won't cause me too much pain like the scrapping of the wallpaper did.  

I boxed up all my wool yesterday I think and it's now stored in the concrete shed off my alley, I think it's okay out there for now, there doesn't seem to be any damp and I've never had problems before.  I can get in the office now so it's time to start the declutter - eek,  Time to decide what to keep and put in those new cupboards I'm having made and what needs to go, I've decided the crochet magazines can go, so that's loads of space made, I'll message a couple of crochet friends I have to see if they want them, or just take them to the huddles with help yourself on them.  My printer can stay in that room I reckon as it's wireless so can be stored anywhere and there's a unit for it to sit on.  Sorry this is me processing my thoughts, so not the most interesting of reading.  Maybe it'll encourage you to do some spring cleaning, decluttering, especially as the forecast is rubbish for the weekend, rain and more rain. 

Honest it feels great when you have less, clothes wise it's less to wash, ornaments and photos it's less to dust, even the kitchen cupboards, it feels better knowing where everything is and what you've got.  Yeah the office is my focus this weekend. 

Right I'm off, need to shower and get those curtains down, unplug all the tv etc so he has a clean run of the walls, it didn't matter if he made a mess on the floors upstairs, it does down here and he's like the Beverley of plasterers, a right messy bugga!  Those walls do look amazing though, so good to know they can just be painted over.  I do hope Terry can get back to the UK next month and get that hearth removed and the floor sorted, oh and decking outside for when we finally get some sunshine! 

I want my house to become a place where people are welcome to come and chill out (only people I like of course ;) ) 

Mwah, luv ya

Love me 

Give yourself a break!

Friday 7th May 2021

Stop overthinking, you're only creating problems that aren't there.

Well yesterday I tried to make spinach pancakes/crepes/wraps call them what you will, I found a couple of different recipes online 2-Ingredient Spinach Tortillas {Vegan, Grain-Free} | power hungry being the one I opted for because of the lack of oil being used.  

Anyway, proof that if at first you don't succeed lol, here's what happened!

It stuck to the pan, I couldn't get it out and it was too thick and a disaster.  Now that recipe calls for a blender, I only had a food processor so mine wasn't as clear as hers, mine had some bits of spinach in it still showing, she did say to leave it for a least an hour, I hadn't, so I took Alfie for a walk, then tried again when I got back with more success.  The ingredients I used were;

100g spinach

150g chickpea flour (Gram flour in Sainsburys) 

325ml water 

Big pinch of salt

Mixed it all together in food processor (blender better apparently) leave for an hour or more, then I used about 2/3rd ladle at a time, I also used a pan liner to stop them sticking, this kind of thing, pic from amazon but you can get them in places like B&M, pound land, if they're square but them into rounds. 

I was really pleased with how they turned out, 2-Ingredient Spinach Tortillas {Vegan, Grain-Free} | power hungry reckons they'll kill refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 weeks, I managed to get 8 pancakes if you include the one that failed and they'd be about 75 calories each. 

 

I walked to get my car back again, my knees wasn't impressed when I got home, glad of that painkiller gel stuff I was, but I enjoyed the beef dinner I'd cooked before I left the house. 

I'm sleeping really well too, thankfully, I think that makes such a difference to everything.  Yesterday was a good day, maybe not a lose weight day but a good day. 

Now, I've been reading people's comments on Facebook about feeling ashamed of not being able to lose weight, or not liking themselves enough.  We all need to remember how bloody difficult this last 14 months has been, remind ourselves that our bodies and brains do everything in their power to get us to overeat, hell temptation is everywhere - give yourself a break and remember how BeYOUtiful and amazing you are!  You're surrounded by people who love you for you, not for the numbers on a scales or because you say no to that cake.  Do what you can when you can and when you struggle, give yourself a break, remember we don't take care of anything we don't love xx

Right let's do our best today, I've got another beef dinner to enjoy, I might have eggs on a breakfast muffin now with a big mug of tea.  I'm struggling to drink the water because it's so bloody cold!  

Mwah, luv ya

Love me xx

Here's to a productive day (I hope or maybe another film lol)

Thursday 6th May 2021

Sometimes Plan B works out better than Plan A ever could.

Well that's my yoga done for the day, my mat needs a clean, Alfie's been messing about on it and it's covered in scratchy bits lol.  I also clocked up almost 13k steps yesterday and 75 active minutes on the fitbit, that was because I dropped my car off to have the brakes sorted so walked the 3 mile back, was happy to sit down when I got back I won't lie, got to get my fitness levels back up, that's for sure. 

Food included this for breakfast, the guacamole was pricey but really good and to be honest it works out better for me because if I have avocados I end up eating the whole thing so expensive in money and calories, instead I just had a couple of spoonfuls of the guacamole and it was delicious.

I had an indulgent dinner after that long walk, pie, chips, peas and gravy, blooming delicious.

 

The pie was a bargain 75p (393 calories), really tasty especially for the price, you couldn't make em for that much and buying just one small one stops me from eating a massive one - which I would. 

I didn't do a lot yesterday, enjoyed the last episode of the Syndicate and just chilled out and pottered, plan to do the same today, blooming rain is stopping us from wanting to walk Alfie miles that's for sure, if my cars ready later, I'll go pick that up but if I know Tif, it'll be Friday. 

I'm gonna experiment in the kitchen I think, have a couple of recipes I want to try, spinach pancakes/tortillas being one of them, actually I'll do them for breakfast see how they turn out.  

I'm brain empty this morning, nothing to write so I'm gonna go make me a cuppa and get something done, I need to get sorting what I want to keep in that office and what I want to get rid of, I have a load of crochet magazines I think I'll donate to anyone who wants them, will go through the crochet boxes I had over the last few years too, sort what needs keeping and what can go.  Yeah that's my morning sorted. 

Right I'm off, mwah, luv ya 

Luv me x

Midway through the week already

Wednesday 5th May 2021

Don't let anyone dull your sparkle.

Well I had a great day yesterday and I woke up feeling great and ready for my day, day 3 of yoga and can already feel it working on both my body and mind, my shoulder pain is easing - yay and Alfie is loving my yoga mat!  I'll get me a nice big one when the back rooms done and he can have his own so I don't have to yoga round him :)

I got on the scales this morning and I've lost weight too, I got naked and I'm under the stone woo hoo, so that's 7 1/2lb gone since March 30th when I braved them for the first time after mom died.  I'm really pleased with that progress because I'm not being a hardcore dieter, I'm working on healthier, keeping my eye on the calories, this week I've also started looking at ingredients of things I buy I made my own hummus (ish) spread yesterday and I was going to buy an avocado but the last one I had went in the bin so I thought I'll have gaucamole, one of the pots had double cream in - WHY!   It's just not necessary at all, can you imagine being a veggie or vegan in a rush and thinking oh I'll pick a pot of guacamole up and have with something for lunch to find out it had cream in, you'd be proper annoyed. 

Back to the hummus (ish) spread on toast (300 cals), really nice, whizzed up drained canned chick peas with some low fat mayo and dijon mustard, will definitely have that again, really tasty and filling.  

Then for lunch I had this chicken biryani (548 calories) that Elle had picked up from Morrisons for me, that was tasty and convenient too, I reckon if I used Penn Road Butchers chicken thighs I have in the freezer, add some sultanas and rice and it would be a close match too, we both thought they were sultanas, I've just looked at the ingredients, they're cranberries! 

Now my tea was a random mix, I'd defrosted some leftover bubble and squeak from the freezer (300 cals), I had it with a can of WW spaghetti (100 cals) and a fried egg (80 cals) and those minted lamb grillsteaks were from the freezer (152 cals each) Alfie saw them off, can't say I was overly impressed, it was when I was going through my 'buy frozen processed crap' phase, I'm over that now, apart from Findus french bread pizza, I still love them even if I can't get them!  Maybe I'll buy a french bread stick and make my own at some point. 

My shoppings coming this morning, I'd ordered a couple of new veggie burgers that were on offer but they're out of stock so they're sending subs which I don't want - gutted I fancied them too, never mind we'll try again next week and click no subs.  

The suns shining at the minute and it's not forecast rain till this afternoon thankfully, I've got to take my car in this morning so if he's got to keep it, I might be walking home!  I don't need the car till Saturday so it's all good, I'm loving this new life, finding my way a day at a time.  

I can't wait for the sit down Huddles to start, two weeks now, soon be here, exciting times, let's hope we have an amazing summer and we can all make up for the past year by having wonderful times. 

Right I'm off, hungry this morning, have a very good day x

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

May the 4th be with you.

Tuesday 4th May 2021

Be good to people for no reason.

Well I decided to make some hummus type thing yesterday with chick peas, mustard and low fat mayo, now I've never been a fan of chick peas unless they're mushed up, but when I opened the can I tried one and it turns out my tastebuds have changed because I sat and ate half the can for my breakfast and enjoyed them!  Now I'll be able to have them in salads and as a snack going forward and they're healthy, cheap and good on calories about 120 per 100g depending on the brand.  They're  a plant based source source of protein and contain several vitamins and minerals and are also a good source of fibre - so yes I need more of these in my life.  

I fancied gravy for dinner and then remembered the minted chicken I'd cooked but realising I have mint sauce on my roast dinners I decided why not, I went a little crazy with the wedges but it was bloomin delicious. 

I ended my meals for the day with crackers and hummus, some of the one I'd made and some of the red pepper one I'd bought.  I'll definitely make my own in the future, one because it works out much cheaper but also it tasted just as good, if not better and I didn't use any oil at all. 

I've done my yoga again this moring, Alfie doesn't make it easy but he does make me chuckle as he helps me do the downward dog.  I've had 8 hours sleep, went up at 8 and got up at half 4, those hours suit me I think, if I can get in bed before 9, I sleep well and don't get the munchies, after all you won't find your mattress in the fridge will you. 

Two weeks today, we'll be able to sit together in a room!  Elle and I will be doing our first full week of Be Happy Owls Huddles and I cannot wait, (get it in your diary) details at the bottom of this blog, please spread the word, help us make a living doing what we love.  Hopefully it'll be warmer by then and we'll all be starting to enjoy life too.  I have my second jab that week too, happy days. 

Got a busy day today, catching up with some Owls, I have laptop work I want to be getting done and I need to get in contact with my mechanic, I think my car needs new brake pads, there's a noise anyway.  

I did enjoy a couple of films yesterday, Ride and Come as you are, both on Sky Cinema (I'm locked in to it till November lol, then I'll be cancelling and saving myself some money there) they were both worth a watch though, oh and The Good Liar with Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen, wow I did sit watching tv for a good few hours didn't I.  I did clean the bathroom upstairs before having a lovely bath at least, just checked my fitbit just over 6k steps and 36 active minutes, we only went for one walk because of the rain we were out a good hour if not walking actively for all of the time :)

Oh ma'an, I should've whacked the heating on cos I need to go shower and damn it's cold!  Might put it on now and go wash up whilst it warms up then shower!  That's a plan.

Here's to a very good day, it's Star Wars day isn't it, May the 4th be with you! 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx

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What's for lunch?

Monday 3rd May 2021

The whole world is a series of miracles but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things.

now this is a miracle I'd welcome ;)

Well I'm sat watching Line of Duty before going on Facebook and before anyone can tell me what happened, even though I don't really know what is going on anyway!  

I set my alarm for 5.30 this morning, a couple of reasons, the first one because someone was possibly coming to collect something at 6, but the other more important reason because I've decided that I'm going to start every day focusing on ME going forward, I've just listened to the Decision by Kevin Hart and as entertaining as he is, he has a good attitude to life and one of the things he does is start each day focusing on himself, then he sets himself up for the day, after all the old adage 'you can't take care of anything or anyone else if you don't take care of yourself' is so very true.  I tried to do that whilst mom was alive but it wasn't always possible in the way I'd have liked to, so now I can, I owe it to myself to make that effort.  

I've started my day with a half hour yoga session, Alfie joined in of course but I can live with that, he just likes to lie on the yoga mat with me, so maybe I get a bigger one, or a second one.  I choose a next and shoulder relief session so hopefully over time it'll help fix that issue. 

I've already drunk some of the planned 2 litres of water I want to start drinking and I've stopped to appreciate the good things in life, the birds on the front garden having their breakfast.

I ate better yesterday too, had egg and tomatoes on toast for breakfast and this plate of deliciousness for dinner; 

Penn Road Butchers

 minted chicken thighs (skinless & boneless) 150 calories per 100g, really enjoyed them and Alfie approved too, the veggies were one of those steam bags, convenient now I'm on my own and they were 2 for £3 from iceland, so 8 portions in total.  For tea I had a pack of crackers with cheese spread to use it up.

I've got the other half of the chicken to have today as I cooked it all, I think I'll have it with rice and veggies, toms on toast for breakfast again sounds good too, this time it'll be tinned ones as I've used the fresh.  

Now whilst we were enjoying a zoom catch up yesterday we got round to the topic of low calorie lunches, which got me to thinking I need some of them in my life, I'm more likely to have them for my tea as I usually have my main meal at lunchtime but it's useful to have a list of possibilities.  I personally think it'll be easier when the weather warms up and I'm happy to eat a salad with a tin of tuna on it, no bread needed then although that's an excuse because a tin of big soup is filling and fast.  There is nothing wrong with a healthy sandwich or wrap, then there's frittatas, omelettes, salad jars, couscous, pasta, potato or rice salads.  There's 30 Low-calorie lunch recipes - BBC Good Food

on this link, fancy the Welsh rarebit muffins or the hoisin wraps. 

Low calorie lunch ideas: Lunch under 200 calories (goodto.com) there's a few on here I'd make too, and here's another link Very low-calorie lunches - BBC Food.

and this ones great because it has supermarket ideas on it 99 Low Calorie Healthy Lunch Ideas - Ideal for Work - Weight Loss Resources 

Well that's the end of Line of Duty, don't worry I can't spoil it for you as I'm still confused, it would help if I paid attention whilst watching but my memory is so bad I can't remember previous series. 

Right here's to the day ahead, Bank Holiday Monday and the forecast is rubbish, so I'll try and get Alfie walked before it pours down, here's to a good day.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

It's all coming together

Sunday 2nd May 2021

Either you run the day or the day runs you.

4am wake up for me but it's all goo as I'm not tired, thankfully I went to bed at 9.15, Alfie more or less told me it was our bedtime, he get coming in staring at me and scratching my leg, I thought he wanted to go up the garden, but no he went to the bottom of the stairs lol.  I'm glad he did as I went straight to sleep. 

A good day was had yesterday, by the time I got back from my morning, my brother and his mate had already removed the shed in the garden and the plasterer was doing a great job upstairs (he's gonna do my living room next weekend) YAY, it's all coming together.  Ian also disconnected my gas fire so when they'd gone, I worked at getting the surround off the wall, today I'm going to remove the hearth, it'll all make less work for Terry when he does get over here, because he has a long TO DO list, starting with constructing a 50 square metre decking area out back!  I've been waiting over a year for it, because when he was due to fly over we went into lockdown the month before, it was my 50th birthday pressie he doing it (not paying for it), 

The living room looks bigger already without the fire, I'm going for a minimalist look I think, also known as less to dust! 

Well I thought I was being good by throwing a chicken in the slow cooker but that didn't work out, I don't know what was wrong with it but I murdered it, I couldn't decide if it wasn't cooked enough or it was overcooked, it wasn't very nice anyway, so I had a sarnie with it and the rest went out for the foxes, I had a chip butty for tea instead.  I'll put more thought into my dinner today, I'll have the time so no excuses. 

Got a zoom call this morning to look forward to, then I'm free all day to do whatever I fancy - that feels so good, but first another cuppa and get dressed in something warm cos it's another cold morning!  I will not put the heating on lol.

Here's to a superb Sunday.

Mwah, luv ya

Love me x

Make May Matter

Saturday 1st May 2021

May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.

No excuses this month, when food like this takes five minutes to cook!  385 calories, absolutely delicious, the recipe was in yesterdays blog, it's vegetarian and if you're vegan just miss off the egg.  

I'm getting me a nice collection of tasty meals for one, so far there's this one, the garlic noodles I did a few weeks ago, oh the egg fried rice, I might need that in my life today, mmm shall I put the chicken in the slow cooker then I can eat off that all weekend.   Maybe not as I've got some chicken coming from Dave (Penn Road Butchers), I've asked him to get me some skinless and boneless flavoured thighs, if you fancy some of his stuff but don't wanna drive that far he'll be on the carpark of United Reform Church, Old Fallings this morning for an hour till half ten.  They also delivery nationally now you know!  Oh yeah, here's the website Penn Road Butchers | Home  I'm having mint, tandoori and bbq, 3 kg packs and I'll split them and pop in freezer.  Minted chicken sounds and even looks weird but trust me, it's absolutely delicious and at 150 calories per 100g it's worth it. 

It'll be busy round here today, hope it doesn't rain, I'm having the back bedroom plastered and my brothers coming to dismantle and remove the huge shed in the garden, it's got to be 12 x 8 or at least 10 x 6, it's bloody big anyway and will leave such a space ready for the decking when my other brother can fly over.   My big brother was 60 yesterday, that's wonderful because after his diagnosis of prostrate cancer over 2 years ago, they wouldn't give him an idea of how long he had left because his cancer was so bad, but true Longsden, he ain't going down without a fight. 

Alfie and I are going out this morning to leave them all to it for a few hours, he loved yesterday, 2 hours we were over the park, then we had another hour out on the afternoon.  I was still productive inbetween, I started emptying the important stuff I wanted to keep from the shed and then I fox proofed (I think) the front of the summerhouse. 

If you are going to pop along to the church to see Dave, bring some extra pennies because this amazing young man who's been doing charity stuff all through April will be there selling raffle tickets https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tylerscharitychallenge let's help get him to £1k, he's an inspiration.  Give the kid a quid.

I did a UW appointment yesterday too, last minute, they move into their new flat on Tuesday and now she's all set up with electric, broadband, 2 mobile sims and a cashback card, plus she was going to look at the home insurance as well.  Was lovely knowing I'd helped in some way.

Right I'm off, got lots to do this morning, I am going to put that chicken in slow cooker, it'll keep me on track later.  Have a great day, let's make May matter xx

Mwah, luv ya

Luv me 

You know what rhymes with Friday - Alcohol!

Friday 30th April 2021

Turn your wounds into wisdom.

I did have a good day yesterday, there were tears but I blame Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 for that!   Bailey's mom had dementia and her words and feelings about it all were just so poignant and a little too soon, then it carried on into Station 19, but in that there was also unbelievable racism that just made me so angry and sad that such people live in this world.   I did watch a good film called Braking for Whales, well I enjoyed it, a comedy drama, a little different which I enjoy. 

On a positive I sorted out my office filing drawers, I have 3 small units with about 8 drawers each, so much paperwork, most now in bin or burned - yeah I had a fire up the garden :) felt good getting a little more done and sorted but my arm / shoulder wasn't impressed by the end of it.

Foodwise, I skipped breakfast, just wasn't hungry, had early dinner which was a repeat of the day before, my sisters lush lasagne and then last night I had a sarnie with chips and veggie fingers on, they were really tasty, I'll be buying more veggie stuff, not only is it tasty, it reduces the meat in my diet which is good for the environment too. You get four fingers for 212 calories and I only had 2 on my sarnie, to be fair, it didn't need the chips.   

I'm going to make these noodles today, I'll use frozen spinach and half the recipe to serve just me, nice cheap tasty meal that'll be.  

Hoisin noodles By Rachel Phipps Hoisin noodles recipe - BBC Food

Preparation time less than 30 mins Cooking time 10 to 30 mins Serves 2 

Hoisin is the secret to creating an easy, no-cook Chinese sauce to serve with these cheap and cheerful noodles. Cooking the noodles and spinach in the same pan helps cut down on washing up, too. 

Make this dish for less than £1 per portion. 

Each serving provides 385 kcal, 18g protein, 56g carbohydrate (of which 8g sugars), 8.5g fat (of which 2g saturates), 5.5g fibre and 3.5g salt. 

Ingredients 

2 nests medium egg noodles 

1 tbsp hoisin sauce 

1½ tbsp soy sauce, plus extra for seasoning if needed 

½ tsp toasted sesame oil 

50g/1¾oz baby spinach 

2 free-range eggs 

2 large spring onions, thinly sliced

salt toasted sesame seeds (optional), to garnish 

Method 

1. Cook the egg noodles in a pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt, over a medium–high heat according to packet instructions, until tender. 

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the hoisin, soy sauce and sesame oil to make the sauce. You might want to add an extra half tablespoon of soy sauce, depending on how much salt there is in the hoisin sauce. 

3. Remove the noodles from the heat and add the spinach to the pan. 

4. While the spinach is wilting, dry fry the eggs in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat, taking care to ensure the eggs do not burn. 

5. Drain the noodles and spinach well before returning them to the pan. Stir in the sauce and the spring onions. The spinach should contain enough residual water to help the sauce cover the noodles, but you can always add more of the reserved cooking water for a looser sauce. However, be careful not to make it too watery. 

6. Divide the noodles between two bowls and top each with a fried egg. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds before serving, if using.

I've just had a slice of toast because I wanted to take some painkillers for my arm, now to decide what to do today...

I could box some more stuff in the office, or try and get a bit more out of the shed ready for my brother tomorrow.  Yeah the shed I think, it'll save him some time and I'll know where stuffs going, I know have the shelving empty in the alley ready for stuff I need to keep.  I won't do loads though, I can't afford my arm getting worse, but at the same time, I can't NOT use it.  

I wished it would bloomin warm up, I don't like having to put the heating on but there's only so many clothese you can wear indoors before getting uncomfortable lol.  

I had great news yesterday my brother and his wife in Corfu have finally got an appointment for their Covid jab next month so when they can come over, they will have had at least one of the jabs which is brilliant.

Right I'm off, 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx

Moms back in the living room!

Thursday 29th 2021

The only successful way to reach and maintain a healthy weight is to find what works for you.

Well I'm sat looking at a cardboard tube covered in doves, clouds and trees that's holding moms ashes, she's still bloody heavy, it's a bit weird for me I won't lie, they're not giving me any emotional vibes.  Having said that I'm proper bloody emotional at the minute, I cried a few times yesterday, frustration mainly because I want stuff done in the house and I need to wait.  I feel like I'm squatting with these bare walls and floors.

Oh wow I've just looked up and out the window and saw a heron flying over, so today is going to be a very, good day, I'm smiling again now and feeling positive after seeing him.

I just need to be patient and ignore the chaos around me, I'm aware of things that I want doing, things I need to get done to start our new business, so I'll start with the new business and put my focus on that for now.  I'll also start decluttering the paperwork in my office, that will help a great deal and it'll occupy my brain. 

 

Ah then there's the physical weight I need to shift!  I'm not beating myself up about that, it'll take as long as it takes, 

Breakfast was a bacon and egg sarnie with a little brown sauce 252 calories. 

I'd treated myself to this Sainsbury's cheese and onion pizza roll with a slice of serrano ham 289 calories - ham was lush, pizza roll looked better than it tasted! I wouldn't buy it again.

Then my most amazing sister made me a huge portion of lasagne so I wasn't that hungry last night so cut a piece off it and had with 2 slices of garlic bread and peas. The garlic bread was perfect from Sainsbury's, 9 slices for £1.65, they're fresh so I can just grab a couple at a time 101 calories a slice. I've just looked though and the frozen version is £1 and there's 10 slices, so I'll try them next week, 98 calories a slice.

As you can see I'm watching the pennies, obviously now I'm on my own I need to but I've also realised the less I spend the less I need to earn and I don't want to be working a 60 hour week again, I want to be able to waste a day like I did yesterday. Actually I didn't waste the day, I rested, I allowed myself to feel the emotions I was full off and I had a couple of lovely telephone conversations with friends and a catch up with my sister.

I've got the paperwork to arrange mine and Annes funeral, need to get that filled in and because I can pay by card, I'm going to pay for one this month and one next so that I get the cashback on my cash back card lol, if there not a partner like the ones below, you get 1% off everywhere on your first £1k each month, hence paying for one this month and one next month, that'll knock a tenner of my bill each month! I love saving money now, it's my new favourite thing, I love getting my 3% from Sainsbury's, also it's no 'expensive' shopping there, if you shop smart. The garlic bread is the same prize in Iceland.

I feel okay this morning, so obviously collecting moms ashes yesterday was having an impact on me even if I didn't realise it, I also think I'm hormonal because I can cry at anything!  

I'm gonna get stuff done today, I did watch some work training videos yesterday so I was somewhat productive, I did the washing up too lol.  

Declutter office paperwork starts today, yeah let's get it sorted!  

I've got lasagne to look forward to later, so I'll have a lighter breakfast, maybe yogurt, I could get some raspberries out the freezer or have tinned fruit.   There was a sneaky packet of peanuts consumed yesterday, but they're out my system now, I won't want them again for a long time.  

Can you believe it's the last day of April tomorrow!  A third of the way through the year - let's make May matter shall we?  Yeah, but don't wait till then, start taking care of yourself today, whatever that looks like, it might be giving yourself permission not to be perfect, to eat the cake, to take time out for yourself to go for a walk and have some time for you. 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

Here's to dancing in the puddles

Wednesday 28th April 2021

Diets are like marriages, you can’t cheat on them and expect them to work.

I need to get my ass into gear and start working again, so please if you have half hour to spare and want to know mre about UW and if they can help you save both time and money, gve me a shout, I had my bill yesterday and I saved £15 on my bill this month with my cashback card, not bad for a single person who's not really doing anything other than food shopping and setting up a business with Elle.  I'm so glad all my bills are in one, it's helping me get my finances sorted, one instead of four or five different ones really helps.  We've just had these things called eeros added to the packages for people who want them and they're 

So much more than a signal booster, these amazing devices create a powerful new network that runs throughout your home - it’s WiFi, but not as you know it!  Then there's fibre to the property becoming available throughout the year, about 20% of our customers can have it already, but tbh I have ultra plus and it's never let me down.  

Anyway back to the other stuff, I'm putting off talking about food because I've not been calorie counting or properly watching my intake, I need to get a grip, I can't keep usng the 'I'm grieving' card! 

I need to get some work done today distract me from food and start keeping my journal and record what I'm eating.  Actually I don't 'need' to do it, because that words laced with guilt - I WANT to do it because I want to get my healthy back, lol I want to get my clothes back on more like. 

This was delicious that I had yesterday, chicken thigh and cheesy mash, I only ate one of those thighs, Alfie had the other and it was huge, easily the size of a breast but so much more flavour.  

My sister gave them to me, they're from Chicken Range - Cheeky Charlies and these ones were the chicken kebab ones, as for calories, just weigh the chicken and use count as chicken thigh Calorie checker - NHS (www.nhs.uk) according to this NHS website, 70g chicken thigh fillet raw (skinless and boneless) is 110 calories so that works out at 143 calories per 100g, I'd just weigh my chicken before cooking and work it out from there.  For those not great at maths if the chicken thigh weighed 240g, that would be 143 x 2.4 = 343 calories. 

I had the same meal for my tea just smaller and then I undid all my good work with a bottle of wine and pink and whites!  Be glad when they've gone, I think I ate 4, although they are only 50 calories each, so could've been worse.  

I've got another cheesy pie in the fridge because I used up all the mash, now I could use this as an excuse not to write it all down today because I didn't measure anything, or I could use my common sense and know I used almost a pack of Cathedral city lighter so about 300g which would be 331 calories per 100g, and the finished product weighed 700g I know this because I split it into two metal trays, therefore there was 400g boiled potato 296 calories, proper maths lesson for you this morning, but it's making me realise I can work out the calories in it, t doesn't mean I have to say, 'I'll start tomorrow', I know I'm an orphan now but I don't want to be the Annie of dieting, 'tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll diet tomorrow!'   Right, back to the mash, total calories = 331 x 3 = 993 (cheese) + 296 (potato) = 1,289, I ate half yesterday, so what's in the fridge is worth 644 calories!  It's a huge portion so will easily do two smaller meals with something else, or one massive meal on it's own - no excuses now. 

If you want to work out your allowance BMI calculator | Check your BMI - NHS | Your BMI result (www.nhs.uk) is the quickest and according to that I can have 

Recommended daily calorie intake:

1603 - 2061 kcal

To lose 1-2lbs a week stick to the lower end of the range.

I have no excuses now, the journals coming out, oh and just for info, wine is about 600 calories a bottle!

Time to sort it out ain't it, I have managed to lose a few pounds since mom died but the last week hasn't gone so well so I can feel my 'sod it' syndrome creeping back in!  

Right I've motived myself writing this thankfully, not sure if I've bored you to death lol, but hey ho, tis what it tis ;) 

Have a wonderful Wednesday, ignore the rain! 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx 

What tweak can you make this week?

Tuesday 27th April 2021

Get started as if you are motivated. Pretend. And the motivation will come!

I know I'm about to start my new story, but really after lockdown ends we all are, aren't we!  What have you learned about yourself over the last year, what would you like to be different?  

I'm 5 weeks into my new world, yep mom's been gone that long and the difficult times we'd had with dementia are starting to fade and all I'm remembering is the love and how many adventures and how much fun we had together and damn does that make my eyes sting with tears!  

I'm sure I have a few adventures left in me but for now I'm enjoying resting and taking my time, pottering about, reading books, listening to music, watching movies, walking the dog, it's much needed.  I'm looking forward to when we can all sit in a room together -  OMG I've just checked the calender, 3 weeks today as long as the easing of lockdown continues, how bloomin exciting is that.  Part time job that i love and also money coming into the house again lol, don't knock that.  I really need to get more UW work going but I'm still working on routine and sorting myself out, I'm not rushing myself through this time, I've rushed about for so long, I need and want a rest.  

I sure had that yesterday after my massage and pedicure, thank you to everyone who contributed to my collection, I enjoyed them very much, (2) Embrace beauty | Facebook Michelle is your lady, she is willing to do mobile too, get in touch, apparently I already have good feet, I've looked after them by not wearing high heels all these years ;) 

Planning meals yesterday made me realise I have lots of food to work my way through so I don't have to buy much, I do fancy something really scrumptious though, I had a craving for chicken wings all day yesterday, so ended up driving down the tesco garage about 7, Alfie was barking upstairs when I got back, he wasn't impressed, but if I keep just nipping out for a bit here and there, hopefully he'll realise I'm coming back and relax.  I shared the bbq wings with him, actually I'd say it was 70/30 in his favour!  They hit the spot although, when you buy pre flavoured wings, you don't get all the wing!

I hadn't had anything to eat since my dinner so it wouldn't have done too much damage, actually I should weigh myself I'll do it tomorrow now, I've had a cuppa lol ;) I like to weigh when I first get out of bed, but Monday, I was same as last week, which I'll take, I'm 6lb down and I see that as a win to say my emotions are all over the place, they have been particularly that way the last few days.  My bestie called me last night and we had a chat, I needed that for sure. 

Right I need to get a wriggle on, places to be, people to see, things to do!  The posters arrived for our a frames yesterday, it's all money but from the feedback and interest we're getting, I think it'll be worth it.  

Have a happy Tuesday!  Remember to lose weight effectively, it's important to focus on small, sustainable changes you can make every day, so ask yourself what tweak could you make this week?  I'm going to find my water bottle out, carrying the bottle will remind me to drink, sometimes we confuse thirst with hunger, here's to hitting my water intake today.

Love ya 

Love me  

Make Monday Matter

Monday 26th April 2021

Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Well my plan today is to plan some meals for the week ahead, one so I have meals to look forward too, I love anticipating what's going to be eaten next.  The other reasons are financially it makes sense, I always save money when I only buy what I need and I also save calories, if I've thought about it and planned then I can work out the calories beforehand and stay within my daily quota.  

Why have I started my blog like that, straight into the bones of the blog, well because yesterday I didn't plan past my breakfast, to be fair I haven't planned for the last week and there's no routine to the times I'm eating, it's just when I think about it, which is okay if I don't end up getting the munchies later on but yesterday I did.  Don't get me wrong I didn't eat half the world, mainly because it's not in the kitchen to eat thankfully (we'll come back to that in a bit), I had a small plate of cheese and crackers and a couple of pink wafers, did similar Saturday night too, I had only had two meals throughout the day both days, so here's to planning for 3 and knowing how many calories I'm going to be consuming.

Why didn't I eat half the world?  Because I'm working on sorting my surroundings, my plan is I can't eat what's not there!  Now I know lots of people say, 'I've got to have it in for the rest of the family' and I get it I really do, so many only buy enough to last them for the week and put it out of sight because that helps too.  I had to go searching for those pink and whites and they are only here because my sister bought them for me, she also bought me the second box of white chocolate rice crispies - killing me with kindness lol.

But seriously, if you don’t want to eat it, don’t buy it, the truth is NO ONE needs junk in their home. Your kids don’t need it and neither does your other half!  It is that simple, instead make sure your house is full of quick to grab, delicious and healthy snacks.

If you've just raised your eyebrows at me because that's just not going to happen, work out your trigger foods, then ones that once you start you can't stop and maybe keep them out or limit how often they get to live in your kitchen.  One of mine is St Agur cheese, I bloody love it, so treat myself now and again because I know I'll pick at it every time I open the fridge!

There's other things you can do to sort your surrounding though other than the food stuff including the things you read, from books to magazine, they can really impact how you feel and think and your attitude towards body image and weight loss.  If you do buy books and magazines make them positive  ones!  Studies show that pictures in magazines have a strong impact on girls (& boys I bet) perceptions of their weight and shape.   Read personal development books just a few pages a day can make you feel more positive about yourself and life, let's make everything better about ourselves not just lose weight.  Then there's the gratitude journal I blogged about yesterday, that's a good one to be doing too.

Tidy up, it is true that a clean and tidy environment makes you feel better, research has shown that messy kitchens are associated with poorer eating habits and more out-of-control eating. Some of this is thought to be due to stress. A messy kitchen is stressful, and stress is a stimulus for (comfort) eating for most people. Plus, if your kitchen is messy it’ll feel more overwhelming or difficult to take the time to make a healthy meal or snack. You'll be tempted to grab something processed or quick instead and you’ll regret later.

Then there's decluttering, that can make you feel lighter just by throwing stuff away, I love doing it when I'm in the mood, then once it's done everywhere looks bigger.  If you've not worn something for a year, get rid, you're not gonna get back into it and if you do, you'll want something new to celebrate probably.  Actually with lockdown, we'll say the last 2 years because everythings been different the last year, we've not been about to go out and wear stuff! 

Anyway, I've got a busy morning, I need to move my backside, having me a massage and my feet done, my treat thanks to the collection my lovely friends did for me last month, so kind.  (10) Embrace beauty | Facebook is doing it, make sure you support local businesses. 

Right I'm off, catch ya tomo, oh I've got the meal plan to do too, I won't forget.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx

Stay thankful always

Sunday 25th April 2021
Pause and find the blessings in every day. 

Another very early morning!  It was a funny old day yesterday, some photos in my memories on Facebook set me off I think, well that and dreaming about mom the night before, then when we got back from our trip out, Alfie ran in the house all excited into the living room looking for mom, he hasn't done that since she died and it just made me a little emotional, my feelings started to roll down my cheeks and they continued to do so on and off most of the day.  Not wailing, snooty crying, just remembering the good times and being thankful that we go to have them and a little sad that we wouldn't get to make any more memories or laugh together ever again.  We really were best mates and those photos that show up every day in my memories on Facebook are visual evidence of the good times we had together. 

I didn't sit crying all day don't worry, I actually had a lovely day, my brain is finally calming down, which has took this long, until now, I haven't been able to do one thing, I've multitasked to keep my brain busy, not really being able to fully concentrate on certain things.  I actually enjoyed listening to my audiobook, I sat in the sunshine for an hour and also listened to it whilst sorting out my shelving in the alley/shed ready for the big shed out the back to be taken down and walking Alfie.  I really enjoyed tuning out from the world and listening to a lovely bit of feel good fiction.

I've just seen a list of things to be grateful for on pinterest, so I thought it would be good to share some of them, taking time to stop and reflect on your day (especially if you're having a tough time) is a great thing to do - why?  Well it increases positivity, you become more positive when you focus on the good things in your life and by writing them down it's helping them stick in your mind rather than be a passing thought.  Keeping a journal can increase your self esteem, it's a very personal activity and helps you learn more about yourself and become more self-aware.  It can also be your safe place so you can write anything you feel without judgment.

I might start doing it more as apparently it helps you sleep better, just 15 minutes before bed noting down the things you've been grateful for that day can help you feel calm and have a better sleep.  Again because you're thinking about positive experiences from your day or focusing on what you have to be thankful for means you're less likely to give headspace to your worries setting you up for a good night’s sleep.

Anything that makes you happier is worth doing and being thankful and showing gratitude means you are noticing the good in your life and writing them down means you'll feel more positive and feel better about your life in general.  It all helps you gain a new perspective of what is important to you and what you truly appreciate in your life and helps you gain clarity on what you want to have more of in your life, and what you can cut from you life.

It's also known to reduce stress, helps you focus on what really matters and apparently grateful people take better care of themselves!  I'll have a bit of that for sure. 

And just like my Facebook memories, on days when you feel down you can read back through your gratitude journal to remind yourself of how blessed you are that you have such great people and things in your life.

If you're anything like me though, when you've tried to do it, you find yourself writing the same 3 things every day because you can't think of anything else!  Yep, it's not just you that does that, so I used to do what I called my Sunshine list which was basically a list of everything I liked or enjoyed, things that made me feel like there was sunshine in my day, that helped, I used to just add to it whenever I thought of something else, I think I'm going to start doing a journal, have it by the side of my bed.

Here's some of the suggestions I found on Pinterest for your gratitude journal; 

1: LIFE – If you woke up this morning, be grateful for that because, well a lot of people actually didn’t.
2: Your Health. 
3: Friends. You actually get to pick the people you call friends. Pick the best ones and be grateful for them.
4:Family. Whether you like them or not, you still have them, be grateful for them.
5: GOD’S LOVE. (if you're a believer I'll go with my DOG'S LOVE) Because it’s UNCONDITIONAL.
6: That roof over your head.
7: The CLEAN WATER you have access to.
8: Clothes, look in your closet and be grateful you have things to wear.
9: TECHNOLOGY. The sky is the limit because of good ol TECHNOLOGY.
10: Social Media. Whether you like it or not social media make our dreams possible.
1: Love and be loved, the one thing that doesn’t cost a thing.
12: The cell phone you are using to stay in contact with loved ones
13: The internet you are using to read this post right now.
14: The shoes on your feet so you are not BAREFEET.
15: TIME, time is soooo precious. Use it wisely.
16: Vision, yes, you are able to read this post, so you can SEE.
17: ELECTRICITY. You didn’t have to get dressed in the dark this morning.
18: Computers. Which is back to technology.
19: FOOD. Well, you are not starving.
20: TV. You get to come home and relax in front of the tv.
21: FREEDOM TO VOTE
22: FREEDOM TO LIVE.
23: The Ocean
24: You have all of your 10 fingers
25: And course all of your 10 toes
26: That beautiful Sunrise 
27: Then that beautiful Sunset
28: Hot water from that hot shower you took this morning.
29: Your hair. Girl whether you are rocking a wig or your own hair, be grateful.
30: Clarity
31:Wisdom
32: Pinterest
33: Facebook
34: Instagram
35: Twitter
36: Access. Pretty much to all the life necessity.
37: PAYDAY.
38 Your JOB. That pays you MONEY to build a life.
39: Your business. 
40: Your hobbies
41: Your favorite drink
42: Shops
43: The restaurants
44: Cars
45: Car insurance
46: Medical insurance
47: Your team
48: Your co-workers
49: blogs
50: and this list for reminding you to stop and take a moment out of your day to be GRATEFUL for what you DO have ;). And as you can see, it’s VERY important to be grateful for even the SMALLEST things that we ALL take for granted.

They may not all be relevant to you but you get the gist, my last sunshine list looked like this - damn I can't find it, that's a sign I need to start my journal and write a new one, especially as my life has changed now so a new list is definitely required.

Right I'm off, have a great Sunday,  

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me