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

This week my Word of the Week is:

We have had a good week. Just plodding on with life with nothing much going on unless you count our trips to the pub. I am not a big drinker now but since the pub has reopened with new owners there is more going on there and we are loving it. I am not going to name the pub as that will give too much away about where I live and where I am visiting. I really wish I could though.

The pub serves food every day from midday until 8pm which has made it more inviting. We all went on Sunday for our lunch out. I am glad we booked a table because when we arrived at 2pm there wasn't a spare seat! We had the 3 course Sunday lunch for £19.95 which I think is a total bargain for the amount of food that you get. I had a prawn cocktail to start, honey glazed gammon and veg and then cheesecake for dessert! Usually I won't eat cabbage but I don't know what the chef did to it but I tried it and it tasted amazing! Stu had the beef which was amazing and Becky had fish and chips and the fish was huge! We had a lovely afternoon.

I have been wanting to go to the bingo that the pub has on a Wednesday evening but Stu isn't a fan so I had to wait until Becky had a Wednesday off work. We went along this week, we went early and had tea out. I had stew and dumplings in a giant Yorkshire pudding and again it was amazing but there was too much. I could have taken the leftover meat home and made a pie, there was that much. lol

Becky had never played proper bingo before so I stressed to her that she needed to concentrate and not just mark off random numbers. We started playing and she shouted bingo on the first line! She got a free drink. We carried on playing and on the 2nd game shouted again for a full house winning £10. On the third game she shouted for another full house but someone else did too so she had to share the prize and ended up with another £7.50. On the 4th game Becky's girlfriend won the full house and £20.

There was a table of guys who started to shout it was a fix and I couldn't tell if they were just joking or being nasty, it was hard to tell but everyone else playing were good sports and told them where to go. Phew!

It came to the last game and I hadn't won anything but as time went on I ended up waiting for 1 number for the full house for ages but it came out for me and I won! I felt so much panic while the woman was checking my numbers but I got the full house and won £100! I hate being the centre of attention so it was a total nightmare for me but I just hid behind my hands and then when I was given the money ran outside to ring Stu.  I of course shared it with Becky and her girlfriend. £30 each for them and £40 for me. We all went home with more money than we came out with even after buying food and a few drinks. It was such a fun evening and we will be going back again.

Over the weekend there is loads going on at the pub. They had cheap kids meals last night from 3pm until 7pm with an inflatable disco and a band on from 7pm last night. They're having free bouncy castles today for the kids, tonight they have an acoustic singer on and what really made me smile is that tomorrow if you bring your dog they get a free roast dinner. lol

I am really loving our local pub at the moment. When we spoke to the new owner on the first day it opened he said he want's to make it a pub for the whole community and not make it all about the alcohol and I think they are doing a great job of doing that.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one!

What I have loved this week! Week 17. #FridayFavourites

Hello there and happy Friday! I have had a nice but busy week. I am looking forward to a weekend of not doing much. Today I am linking up with Erika and Andrea and share some of my favourites from this past week.

Child Trust Fund!

Everyone born in the UK between 1st September 2002 and 2nd January 2011 was given a Child Trust Fund through the government. I set Ellie's up with one company and it was moved to another and another so it took some tracking down as I forgot all about it when we moved house a couple of times. This week we found it! With Becky's hers was in plain savings account and just gained interest so ended up with a little over £1200 when she cashed it out when she turned 18. Ellie's £500 was invested in stocks and shares and her amount has been going up and down for the last 16 years. I looked at the performance and the lowest it has been is £700 and something during the Covid lockdown and highest was last month at just over £1300. Who knows where it will be when she turns 18 next year. She is very excited to find out.

Wrestling!

Since watching Wrestlemania a few weeks ago I am hooked again and have been watching the weekly shows Raw and Smackdown. I am loving it. I used to be a big fan when I was in my 20's and 30's but went off it. Now it's back in my life and I even found myself looking at tickets for the Clash at the Castle live event and it's £500 at least! Eek! That's a combo package for 2 shows over 2 evenings but wow, way out of my budget.

Bingo!

They've started doing bingo at the pub and I think us going is going to be a regular thing after we won big on Wednesday evening. I won the last full house with a prize of £100. 

Baby Reindeer!

I watched Baby Reindeer off Netflix over a couple of days. The story follows the writer and performer Richard Gadd's warped relationship with his female stalker and the impact it has on him as he is ultimately forced to face a deep, dark buried trauma. I didn't realise that it was going to be so dark when I started watching. After watching the trailer I thought it was a comedy, I was wrong. It's pretty shocking but I am glad that I watched it.

The Tortured Poets Department!

I wouldn't say I am a big Taylor Swift fan but my girls are. All I have heard for the past week is songs from the new album and gossip about it. How certain songs are aimed at her ex's and things like that. I do like some of the songs but my girls love them all!

Growing things!

A few weeks ago I planted a ton of seeds. Sweetcorn, tomatoes, sunflowers, peppers, pumpkins, strawberries and a few other things and they have finally started growing. I am thanking the super compost that my dad gave me. He got it from a fantastic gardener so we knew it was good.

Stuffing Crusted Chicken!

Our favourite meal so far this week is the stuffing crusted chicken that we had with lots of veg. Who'd have thought that putting sage stuffing on chicken breast while it cooks makes it taste so different!

Bananas!

My dad was given a load of bananas, too many for him to use so he passed a load on to me. We have been enjoying them this week. I made banana muffins, we've had just bananas and custard for dessert and of course banana and sugar sandwiches. Yum, yum! 

What have you loved over the past week?

Why I still love watching Friends!

Friends isn't just a TV show it's a warm, fuzzy blanket of nostalgia, laughter and life lessons. I only started watching Friends when the last episode was shown on TV way back in 2004 and even then it took me a good few years to get into it. I was so late to the party but since then I think I have watched each episode about 10 times at least.

Why I still love watching Friends!

The Relatable Characters.

Each of the six main characters has a different personality, making it easy to connect with at least one of them. The clean freak Monica, the a quirky Phoebe, the sarcastic yet sweet Chandler, the geeky Ross or popular girl Rachel there's a character for everyone. I see bits of myself and my friends in each of them which makes it so much more relatable than other TV shows.

The Unforgettable Catchphrases.

One of the best thing about friends Friends is all of the catchphrases and one liners that have drifted into our everyday conversations. Who hasn't tried a Joey-style "How you doin'?" or shouted "Pivot!" while moving furniture? We were on a break!! Could I be wearing anymore clothes?, Unagi, Oh. My. Gawwwwwwd!, This is brand new information, He's her lobster, Joey doesn’t share food! They don’t know that we know that they know and so on and so on! I have used so many of these sayings in real life and then chuckle to myself because of Friends.

The Life Lessons

Friends delivers some valuable life lessons. It teaches us about the ups and downs of friendships, relationships, and the importance of finding your own path in life. It's not just entertainment it's a guide to being an adult!

The Nostalgia!

Watching Friends is like travelling in time, taking us back to the 90s and early 2000s. The fashion, the hairstyles and even the technology (or lack of) remind us of a simpler time. For those of us who grew up during that era, it's a sweet trip down memory lane.

The Re-watchability!

Friends is endlessly re-watchable! No matter how many times you've seen an episode, it still manages to make you laugh and feel warm inside. It's the kind of show you can turn to when you're feeling down or just need a good laugh.

The Love Stories!

Monica and Chandler, Phoebe and Mike, Chandler and Janice, Ross and Emily, Monica and Richard and of course Ross and Rachel! Friends gave us some of the sweetest love stories in TV history. 

The Endless Laughter!

One of the most obvious reasons why I love Friends is the sheer hilarity of it. The humour in this show is like a fine wine, it gets better with age!

Both of my girls now love Friends, Becky especially! She has so many things in her bedroom which are Friends related. Lamps, blankets, Funko Pops, Lego, mugs, duvet sets and even a Monopoly set!

You can’t beat the classics can you? Joey has to be my favourite with Phoebe coming a close second. I know most of the episodes word for word and I think my favourite has to be "The One Where No One’s Ready!". Could I be wearing any more clothes? hehehe or The One with the Embryos, that should have been called "The One with the Contest.".

Do you like Friends? What is your favourite episode?

Crafty ideas to upcycle old baby clothes!

 Nearly all parents will have a box or two of keepsakes of when their child was a baby. Often it seems a shame to store them in a box where no one is going to see them. I know I do! We have at least 4 big plastic boxes of things from where the kids were little. The outfit they wore when they left the hospital, first shoes, party dresses and favourite blankets.

These items hold some of the fondest memories in our lives. There are so many ways to breathe new life into baby clothes and blankets. Whether you pick something from this list or experiment with a different craft.

Here are some different ways to upcycle or get crafty with old things that will help you to remember past times and give them a new place in your future.

A memory bear.

Reusing all those clothes that your child seems to outgrow quickly is a terrific idea. Although sewing a stuffed bear might seem challenging, there are plenty of free, easy to follow patterns available online. You'll have a sweet little teddy bear to treasure for years to come once you're done. You can either give it away as a keepsake, display it as a memory bear, or wait to give it to your grandchildren.

Memory book.

For a project that doesn’t require sewing, you could use old clothes and fabric to create and decorate a memory book or album. Use a large piece of fabric for the cover and fill the

pages with pieces of other items along with photographs of when your kids used to wear them. That way, when you look back and remember times past, you’ll have a piece of them

with you as well as a photo to look at.

Patchwork blankets.

Using a patchwork technique, you can create a new patchwork blanket by sewing square pieces of fabric from old blankets or clothes together. As you may use several items and each patch will tell a different story from when your children were babies, this is a great method to preserve memories. You could even embroider significant names or dates on each piece if you're good with a needle. After that you can pass your patchwork blanket on to other family members and future generations will be able to add their own patches to expand it.

Cushions.

A cushion made from pre loved baby clothes could make a great decorative piece for your bedroom or even a gift for grandparents. They’re simple to make, and you can do all sorts of shapes and sizes depending on what fabric you have on hand. Use the same patchwork method that you would use for creating the blanket. Or try following different tutorials for different patterns and styles.

Christmas decorations.

While Christmas is still a little way off yet, there’s no harm in getting prepared early with some handmade decorations.

Christmas is a time for the entire family to be together, share memories, carry out traditions and perhaps even start some new ones. Now is the ideal time to make cherished ornaments that you can display every year. If you're at a loss for ideas, there are lots of ways to decorate. Make patchwork stockings out of discarded garments, blankets, or muslins. Craft fabric ornaments shaped like snowmen, angels, penguins or polar bears. Your children will love receiving ornaments shaped like their first initials, since they will get to hang theirs on the tree every year.  

If you’ve got some old Christmas outfits taking up storage space, you could also try turning them into a memory ‘reindeer’ instead of a bear.

Repurpose as dolls clothes.

As children get a little older they might enjoy pretending to look after a doll as their “baby”. A really simple way to help them play out the fantasy and get more use out of old clothes is to repurpose them as outfits for the dolls. This can also work for stuffed animals.

Upcycle into new clothes and accessories.

Transforming pre loved clothes into new garments can be a fun and sustainable way to keep them for longer rather than throwing them away. You could add to existing clothes for example, covering pockets with bright patterned fabric can jazz up an otherwise plain pair of jeans. Or make new pockets for clothes, it will give your kids a place to keep all the things they collect when they’re out and about!

There are so many ways to breathe new life into baby clothes and blankets. Whether you pick something from this list or experiment with a different craft, I hope this has inspired

you to think twice before throwing items away or leaving them to gather dust.

Have you tried anything like this before?