Lincoln Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

Movie Review – Star Wars: Rogue One

January 10, 2017 by Bel Leave a Comment

Yesterday, Chris and I went to see Star Wars: Rogue One. I’ve never really been a Star Wars fan (I don’t hate it, I just was never fussed) but I have seen all the movies. Last year I went with Chris to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and really enjoyed it, but I wasn’t especially fussed about Rogue One. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised though.

When the movie first started, I wasn’t particularly sold on Jyn’s character. It wasn’t that I didn’t like her but I do worry if we’re just getting female leads (like Rey too) because we’ve tolerated male heroes for so long. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all pro equal rights, but I just don’t want it to be a girl for token sake, rather than because they are genuinely the right person to be the lead. Anyway, Jyn just reminded me of Katniss Everdeen so I wasn’t really sold and in fact the first half of the movie didn’t really grab me. I cry at nearly every movie I ever watch and so when I tell you I didn’t cry when a certain person died on Eadu, you might be a little surprised.

However, when Jyn and Cassian go at each other on the way back to the council, and you’re kind of on both people’s side at the same time, it’s pretty obvious that Jyn is now going to start helping. Her speech at the council was actually quite emotional (despite being very typical of movies) and from then on, she was onboard and so was I. The gang getting together and becoming “Rogue One”, almost made me cry in itself but when it all really got going and everyone banded together, that definitely got me. I love a good villain and I’ve always been a champion of bad guys, but there is something about the Rebellion, that just gets me. The way that people fight, knowing there is a high chance they will die, is just very refreshing.

That said, and I don’t like to write these posts with spoilers, I was definitely surprised by many of the deaths on Scarif. I even leant over to Chris and said “its like Game of Thrones, no one is safe”. For the most part, I expected the storyline that happened and not just because you know what happens in the next movie. However there were several parts, especially deaths, that I didn’t. As I already mentioned, I loved the banding together of EVERYONE and the way they worked together to get the data out (and then even to safety in the big reveal last scene). I sobbed at the deaths, especially the (most?) surprising couple on the beach towards the end. It was completely devastating how it ended on Scarif to be honest, but somehow refreshing that it didn’t have a neatly tied up bow at the end too.

For me, the stand out performances were definitely Cassian and of course K-2S0 (he was amazing and hilarious and another sob!). The rest of the team making up Rogue One were pretty awesome too, the pilot, blind guy and his sidekick protector. I’ve never really followed the thread of who’s in charge when it comes to the Dark Side (it’s confused me through both the first trilogy and the second) so I can’t really comment on those (I don’t even know who is who) but Darth Vader was pretty cool. Watching 4-6 I never really understood how he was considered scary, because the movies always just seemed a bit outdated (I was in my twenties watching them) but I could definitely see it in this movie. However my biggest shoutout, has to be to a nostalgic feel. While the movie was made now, it didn’t feel too new. The pilots (fighting in and out of Scarif) all felt very much like they had in 4-6, as did Darth Vader. I loved that the filming just didn’t smack of better graphics, cgi etc all because it was made now and not then.

Overall I enjoyed the film a lot, though not as much as The Force Awakens (despite that feeling very NOW and modern and new by comparison to the other movies). I did like the way it fills the gap between 3 and 4, though honestly I still try and forget 1-3 exist.

Our Christmas and New Year

January 6, 2017 by Bel Leave a Comment

January is flying past and it feels a little late to be updating about Christmas. However we had such a great holiday period, that I don’t want to let it pass by without a mention. Also, with not doing a November or December round-up, I wanted to make sure I at least briefly covered that period of time.

For some people, Christmas begins with the Coca Cola truck advert, but for me Christmas begins with Starbucks Red Cups. Sadly this is getting earlier and earlier every year (as are many Christmas things) which often results on the christmasy things being few and far between, instead of compact into a few weeks of December. Anyway, I won’t rant about that! So in November, Starbucks released their red cups and as a family we took a trip to get one (12th), each trying a different flavour (as is the tradition). Next came the Christmas Light switch on, November 18th, which has become tradition as a family too. We walk into town, look around the market and get food, then sometimes coffee too and then watch the light switch on and firework display made by fireworks airlie beach. It started to rain this year which almost sent us home early but we stuck it out and actually really enjoyed ourselves.

This was really all the excitement for November and next came December. On literally the 1st, I started attending Lincoln Christmas Market. Usually we attend to visit, once during the four days its there, but this year I was actually selling there with Closet Geek. It was such a great experience, but very tiring and the preparation before hand was insane. I don’t regret it at all, but I won’t be doing it in 2017, partly because it falls too close to Megan’s birthday.

The following weekend was Megan’s birthday, which despite not being a Christmas event, often feels like it’s part of the celebration. On Saturday (the day before her birthday) the Coca Cola Christmas truck was in Lincoln so we traveled over to see that and get a mini coke can. The next day, Megan’s birthday, we took her and some of her friends, to Pizza Hut and then family joined us too, for a family lunch to celebrate.

After such a busy start to December (which Christmas Market, lots of school events – including a school disco that Megan got a date for! – and of course Megan’s birthday) we didn’t get time to put up the tree till 17th. Strangely enough this didn’t actually bother me as much as I thought it would, making me feel more Christmasy than when we put it up early.

As always, we put on the Christmas music cds, wear silly hats and glasses and put up the tree. Megan made us hot chocolate too and it was actually a lovely family event. Afterwards we sat and went through the TV pages to pick which movies we wanted to set to record.

The kids had two more days of school after the weekend we put the tree up and while this was a shame, as we were all ready to be on a break, it went fast and we celebrated as always, with a trip to Pizza Hut after school on the last day of term. This one in December always seems silly as we’re only there for Megan’s birthday a week or so before but we do it anyway! Later that week, the girls and I had to go to Doncaster for some last minute Christmas bits and pieces, so I treated them to a wash, cut and blowdry from Supercuts. I won’t tell you the exact price, but just for the two of them, it was over £50 (!!) which definitely surprised me but it was part of their Christmas treat so I didn’t let it bother me too much.

As part of the trip to Doncaster, we finished sorting out Christmas Outfits for the girls, as I already had my sorted from Simply Be. Their tops had come from Boohoo.com, we picked up their trousers at H&M, then I popped to ShoeZone on the way home and grabbed the boots. The following day we also picked up our Christmas Hamper from the girls grandparents (as is their tradition) so coming home and unpacking that was fun too.

Soon it was Christmas Eve and that holds a whole host of traditions for us. First is, my mum and sister come around and we do Christmas Eve presents. That was edited a little this year as now both kids know about Santa and we don’t have to play it so young. We used to exchange Christmas PJs, Christmas Lush and a book to read for a bedtime story. However this year it was decided we wouldn’t wrap anything (as the kids know we do it as a tradition now and its just waste of paper) and instead of a book we would get a board game. When mum and Pippa arrived, we had hot chocolate, Baileys, a glass of sherry etc and as the girls were already having their traditional Christmas Eve bath, they got dressed into their new pjs. Afterwards, once Chris had arrived too, we played a board game and then finally mum and Pippa went home. After they were gone, Chris and I had baths, the girls did their reindeer food (some traditions don’t always need giving up!) and hung up their stockings.

Christmas Day was spent in the same way as always. The girls woke and came into our room, bringing their stockings with them. They took it in turns to open their gifts, before Chris and I did our stockings. Next we all got dressed and headed downstairs. We had crumpets and muffins for breakfast, plus tea and coffee for Chris and I. Next we opened the gifts under the tree, taking it in turns to each open one. Once all were opened, the girls played and opened some of their boxes/toys/gifts, while Chris and I sorted out rubbish, had another cuppa etc. Mum and Pippa turned up a little while later and we opened gifts between us all. Then we got in the car and headed to Chris’ Gran’s house, to see her and his dad. Again we exchanged gifts. We then headed to my brother’s house, where we would be having lunch. We exchanged gifts for the kids (as we had agreed not to do them for adults) and then had lunch. It was lovely and very relaxed. My mum then drove us home, but kept the girls with her as she later drops them off with their dad for the afternoon and evening. Chris played on his new Xbox game while I snoozed on the sofa, then in the evening we watched some TV. That was pretty much our Christmas Day.

Boxing Day was a nice quiet day, with the girls arriving home and everyone just spending time with their new presents and relaxing. The day after, we had another family day but at my Auntie’s house and this was wonderful as I got to see my cousins for the first time in ages and I’m hoping it becomes another tradition. In the few days between Christmas and New Year, we didn’t really do an awful lot. We ate cheese, drank wine, watched movies, played board games and basically just hung out as a family. It was pretty fantastic.

On New Year’s Eve, Chris was working till 6pm but then we had family time planned. We ate a huge cheese based dinner, drank wine (the girls had a little strawberry and lime cider) and spent time together. We opened our New Year resolutions from last year (and laughed because we failed most of them) then watched the music channel until midnight as there was nothing much on. At midnight we popped some fizz, had a toast, stayed up just a little longer and then finally headed to bed.

On New Year’s Day, my mum, sister, brother, his partner and her son, all came around for lunch. I made lasagne with garlic bread and salad, then served profiteroles with cream and ice cream. Afterwards we all played a great game on the Xbox called Jackbox.tv and had another lovely family day. That was basically our whole Christmas and New Year, both fantastic and hectic at times. The girls only had two more days off school after that, before they went back to school and then it felt like it was all a blur and Christmas was long forgotten! I’m looking forward to 2017 however and I hope that everyone enjoyed their Christmas period and is looking forward to the New Year too.

Brewers Fayre – Half Term Fun

February 2, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

During half term its always nice to find an excuse to get out for the day, even if it’s just for dinner. We heard that Brewers Fayre were offering some extra activities this coming February half term and so last week we decided to go and visit, so we could get a feel for the place. Our nearest Brewers Fayre is in Lincoln, a pub called Gateway Park. We’d been a few times before, especially for kids parties, but it had been a while. Since mum was going away for the whole of February, we decided to meet up with her too and enjoy lunch as a family.

When we arrived, the car park was really full and we actually couldn’t find anywhere to park there. We headed back out and managed to park further into the estate, luckily not too far. As we headed into the pub, we were greeted and seated within a few minutes, despite the fact it was busy. We all decided what to eat and Chris and I headed to the bar to order. We were served by a really lovely guy, who was great to deal with and friendly too.

Our food arrived within maybe 15-20 minutes, but it felt even quicker than that. The service was lovely and the food was great. We genuinely had no complaints. Despite struggling to finish, I let the girls have dessert and I had a coffee. We all had a lovely lunch and will definitely be heading back. The kids menu was great value at £3.99 with only an extra 50p for a starter or 50p for a dessert.

Brewers Fayre has a built in play area, that you can let the kids play in and view from the outside. It’s a good place to relax while still letting the kids play. During half term, Brewers Fayre nationwide are offering extra activities including colouring, puzzles and activity sheets. The theme is Beano (like the play area and menu) and kids will even get to leave Beano balloon.

For extra entertainment during Half Term, Brewers Fayre will be featuring fun discos on both Friday 19th and Saturday 20th February at selected Brewers Fayres. The Toddlers disco will run from 9.30am – 3pm while the Kids will run from 3.30- 7.30pm at a cost of £3 per child.

So if you have a Brewers Fayre somewhere local to you, why not give it a try? They offer good value for money, great food and somewhere to let both you and the kids unwind.

Top 10 Best Christmas markets in 2015 that you should not miss in 2016

January 25, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Christmas markets are a great opportunity to do your Christmas shopping and enjoy the fun holiday spirit. You can enjoy the beautiful decorations, extraordinary atmosphere and have fun while doing your holiday gift shopping. There were some great Christmas markets in 2015 that you should look for and not miss in 2016:

Manchester Christmas market

Manchester has a great history of amazing Christmas markets. It has been attracting visitors from all over the world and it’s one of the biggest Christmas markets in the world. Since it has more than 300 stalls you can buy almost anything there whiling enjoying the amazing attractions the Manchester Christmas market offers.

Lincoln Christmas market

The Lincoln Christmas market is growing exponentially ever since it started. Starting with only 11 stalls, the Lincoln market had 250+ stalls in 2015. So we can expect even bigger things for 2016. One of the best attractions is the Santa’s Grotto that you definitely should not miss.

Birmingham Christmas market

Birmingham has millions of visitors from all over the world for their Christmas market. It is also well known as one of the best cities for Christmas Parties in UK. The quantity of visitors speak for the quality of the Christmas market. It has great main attractions like the Ice Rink and Ice Bar where you can have the winter fun you’ve been waiting for all year.

Munich Christmas market

Germany has a great Christmas market in Munich. Although most known for Oktoberfest, Germany’s Christmas markets deserve as much or even more praise than Oktoberfest because of their beauty. There’s a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the Munich Christmas market with more than 2500 lights on it.

Ludlow Christmas market

Ludlow had a great medieval-themed Fayre this year where each stall holder was dressed in medieval costumes. There were amazing medieval-based attractions and entertainment. With a Christmas market like that, we don’t even know what to expect in 2016, but we’re sure it will be extraordinary.

Winchester Christmas market

Although not as big as some other Christmas markets in the UK, the Winchester one has one of the most beautiful wooden chalets. This Christmas market has a good location and it’s situated next to a huge, real, open-air ice rink.

New York Christmas market

Europe’s countries are the pioneers in Christmas markets and are well known for them, but other countries have great Christmas markets too. New York’s Christmas market is one of the best in America. Located at the Union Square, this market has about a million visitors each year and has more than 150 iconic, red and white staples.

Bruges Christmas market

Belgium is a great country to visit any time of the year, especially for the Christmas holidays. There’s an amazing Christmas market in Bruges that has awesome attractions. Most known for the ice rink erected in the Market.

Salzburg Christmas market

Like many other European countries, Austria has several Christmas markets and all of them are great. The Salzburg Christmas market is one of the oldest markets in Europe. This Christmas market is a more intimate one compared to other larger cities with their markets. It has some outstanding musical performances from different artists which is expected since it’s the birthplace of Mozart

Hyde Park Christmas market

The Hyde Park Christmas market has the biggest outdoor ice rink in the UK which is lighted up by more than 100 000 lights. The ice rink is breathtaking, especially when seen from the observation wheel.

2015 was a great year for Christmas markets in the UK and around the world. 2016 would be even better. We can hardly wait for Christmas to come just so we can visit some beautiful Christmas markets.

Week 40 – Monday Round-up

October 5, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Only another 12 weeks and then I’m knocking this round up business on the head! I knew my close friends enjoy reading it but I find it such a bind and I’m sure its completely boring to the majority of my readers! Not to mention on a busy week it just feels like such a hassle and yet again I’m writing a very quick post today!

Monday-Friday was school as usual for the kids and work for Chris. Monday I started a new diet with DW Fitness and since its a 12 week challenge it will take me right up to Christmas! This first week I’ve lost 2lb and so I’m feeling fairly positive about it so far! The whole week I have been working hard on Closet Geek orders. I’m so completely busy that every moment of every day seems to be dedicated to it! I had a total of 13 orders over the weekend, 11 of which were handmade dresses and so as you can imagine it’s keeping me busy. Tuesday though I made a dress for Megan and I was really pleased with how it turned out. She even wore it over the weekend so that assures me she likes it!

Um what else? Girls were with their Dad on Monday night and stayed at my mum’s on Thursday. Oh that’s because I went to a Bloggers Event at HomeSense on Thursday night and that was really nice to get out for a change. Nat came around one day too. Think that might have been Thursday daytime! I’ve been updating the school website in what little spare time I have, plus making sure I attend the kids events at school. I went in to help school with the website on Friday afternoon too. Watched The Descendants movie with the girls at the weekend – wasn’t really what I expected but it was good in the usual Disney manner. I would say Mean Girls meets High School Musical really.

Think that about sums up my week! Got to go make 9 of the same dress now so update again when I can!

Week 38 – Monday Round-up

September 21, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

This Monday Round-up is definitely starting to become the bane of my life! I was unsure about doing it again at the beginning of this year and now 38 weeks in and I’m almost certain I won’t be doing it again next year! Anyway… another busy week (duh!). Monday to Friday and the kids were at school, though Lily was off sick on Wednesday. Chris was off Tuesday and Wednesday, but otherwise he was working every day and also Saturday at the weekend.

I honestly don’t remember much of the week, as its now a bit of a blur. Monday I think was probably a day spent catching up on blogging and the internet – as it often is. Tuesday I didn’t have to take the kids to school as they were at their dads, so it was lazy to begin with, then a shower and changed for a Secondary School open evening that night. Chris and I went to pick the girls up from school, headed home for dinner and then Megan and I went out to the first of her open evenings, leaving Lily and Chris at home to watch Avatar.

We were back around 9pm and so Megan and Lily headed straight to bed. We enjoyed the open evening though and LCHS is Megan’s first choice for next year. Wednesday as I mentioned, Lily was off. Nat also came around for the day and Chris was off work so we were a full house! Nat and I however headed out to Scunthorpe for fabric and then obviously later that afternoon I went out to get Megan from school. That evening was spent making a start on a custom Cinderella dress and then researching and ordering a few bits and pieces.

Thursday everyone was gone again – Chris back to work and the girls both at school. I spent the day working on a variety of sewing projects, popping into town and really just getting on top of things. I picked the girls up from school and then headed to mums where we would have dinner before heading out to another open evening. This time mum and Lily came too but not till towards the end and it was only really to meet us and make getting home a little faster. The girls went to bed not long after we got back and I started on Lily’s Harley Quinn dress. I spent pretty much all day Friday working on Lily’s dress and by the end of the day (with picking them up from school and dinner etc.) the dress was done. Lily had a friend to stay overnight Friday as well, which made things a little stressful but I still got plenty done.

I then spent Saturday morning making some bows for Lily and tidying up Megan’s Belle dress. Lily’s friend went home midday and at that point I was back to working on my other projects, putting a zip in a different dress, working on new ideas etc.

Sunday was Geeks in Lincoln, a sort of mini-comic con. The girls got dressed up but Chris and I just wore geeky t-shirts. Left the house not long after 10am and met up with Nat and her son Josh around 11am. The convention was really busy but it was small so only took an hour or so to look around. The girls enjoyed themselves and I have to admit I did too – despite it being small. We also bumped into Rhiannon who I haven’t seen in ages! We headed to KFC for lunch and then to my mums. After that we all headed home and just chilled out for the rest of the day – making time for homework and baths too though.

Another busy week coming this week but what’s new! Hope everyone is okay and having a good week too.

38/52

September 20, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Today’s 52 Project photo is actually taken today. We attended a small sort of a comic con in Lincoln called “Geeks” and both girls dressed up. Lily had wanted for a long time to be Harley Quinn, so I made her a dress for the occasion. Megan wasn’t really sure what to go as but since she had the Belle dress from when we went to Florida, and the apron, she decided to go as Belle. Neither were really cosplaying, more just inspired, but it was lovely to see them enjoying dressing up!

Week 35 – Monday Round-up (on Tuesday)

September 1, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Trying to keep on top of my week this week, as it’s a bank holiday weekend and then the kids will be back to school and I don’t want to get too far behind! This week started off really great! Monday the girls had been overnight at their Grandma’s and then went on to their dad’s so I still didn’t see them. Chris was off work though so it was nice to spend the day together (well sort of). I spent the morning working on orders, to make sure I could get them sent off that day. I then grabbed a shower and Chris and I went out for lunch. Since we ate at NYC Bar and Grill (again), we ended up going for a wander around Bawtry at the same time. It was lovely having a walk around somewhere new and the weather was good too.

On the way back to Gainsborough, Chris’ car started playing up and that was a worry. We came in and I started sewing, but he had to call the garage and get it checked out. Luckily it didn’t seem like it was anything to worry about so I spent the rest of the day sewing, answering emails and working on my orders. Chris and I headed to bed around 11pm though as we were both tired.

Tuesday was another day off for Chris but we had a lot planned. I was out the door at 8.30am as I needed to pop to market before heading over to my mum’s. Chris was coming too but decided he would take his own car and give it a run. Luckily it was fine though we still popped into the garage to make an appointment, just for it to have the once over. We then headed on to my mum’s, where I worked on the Saxilby School website with her and Chris fixed an issue with her computer/printer, while causing one with her internet! However we couldn’t stay and fix it as I needed to get the girls from their dad and then head over to Louth. I picked the girls up and then we all headed over to see my Auntie Pat. She had her grandchildren around so it was sort of a playdate, but it was nice to see Pat and catch up. We had a lovely lunch and the kids played nicely. I almost felt bad that we had to leave. Chris headed back to my mum’s to fix the wifi he’d broken earlier and the girls and I went to Scunthorpe so I could scout out a Fabric Warehouse I’d found online.

The girls and I had a wander around the fabric store and I did buy a few bits. We then went to The Range where we spent a bit more! Finally we headed to Costa and grabbed coffee before we all headed back. Chris was already home by then but we were all pretty worn out so we did our own thing. The girls weren’t hungry (I think from the coffee) and neither was I. We postponed dinner for a while and I worked on Amy’s cosplay outfit. Finally we had dinner and as the girls were finishing I realised it was 9pm! I have no idea how it got that late but after letting them have a few minutes for their food to go down, I soon packed them off to bed – with Megan having a while longer for iPad time. I spent the evening sewing until eventually Chris and I went to bed as well.

On Wednesday Chris was back to work and on an early shift too. This meant that I got a lie in till 9am which was really nice. When I got up, I realised I had quite a bit of blogging to do so caught up on that (and started this). The girls played happily on their computers. I spent the morning working on Amy’s cosplay costume, working out a custom order with a possible customer and browsing the net for ideas/supplies. To be honest I don’t really know where the day disappeared to, but I got quite a lot done!

On Thursday, Nat came around. I spent majority of the time sewing, though we did go out into Gainsborough for a while and treated the girls to Subway while we were out. I bought some things I needed for Amy’s dress and continued to work on that. When I ran out of the things I needed, I stopped to order them online instead. I spent the evening working on yet another custom order idea, now having two in the pipeline!

Friday we were up early and out to take Chris and his car to the garage. Luckily it didn’t need much doing and so we headed into Lincoln and got the girls their school shoes. After this we met up with Nat and her kids, wandering around town, doing various bits of shopping. Chris went off to work and we took the kids to McDonalds for lunch. Afterwards we headed up to Lincoln Castle and had a lovely afternoon there. Finally we dropped Nat and the kids back off at her car and went to grab Starbucks. We then headed home and collapsed. Before bed we needed to pack as we were off to London the next day, but we managed that without too much fuss!

Saturday and Sunday were spent down in London, but I documented them separately and there is no point me doing it again! This was yet another lovely week and I can’t believe the kids are back at school soon!

Week 19 – Monday Round-up

May 11, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

All weeks seem very samey at the moment so I’m sorry if these posts are a bit of a bore. Monday this week was Bank Holiday so it was a short school week and that’s always nice. The girls were with their dad on Monday and so after he picked them up, Chris and I went out for the day. We started by going to visit his Nan and then headed over to Lincoln where we were going to the cinema to see Avengers again and then on to Pizza Express for dinner. It was also May Fourth which for most means Star Wars Day, but for me it’s my dad’s birthday and since he died, its always been a day for reflection. It was nice to keep busy though and have a sort of “date day” with Chris. We ended our day with an ice cream and a walk through Lincoln, before meeting the girls and their dad to switch and go home. Once the girls were in bed we spent the evening catching up on TV like S.H.I.E.L.D., Gotham and Game of Thrones.

Tuesday was back to school and back to work for everyone, including me. Chris was on an early shift so he was out of the house early, but the girls and I headed to school as normal. After dropping them off in their classrooms, I headed to the office to help out. I stayed the whole day and even ended up covering a lunch shift in the dining room. After school the girls and I headed home, getting dinner and then getting homework done. The girls also had a bath because it was class photos at school the next day. When Chris got home, he had dinner and then we spent the evening catching up on Arrow together.

Wednesday was a nice relaxing day, spent catching up on blogging and everything around the house. Chris was at work and the girls were at school, so it was nice to have time to myself and I even started the day with a bacon butty and a cup of tea. I made curry for dinner, so it was easy when we all got home and once I’d picked up the kids from school it meant we didn’t have much to do. Again once Chris was home, we caught up on Arrow, trying to make sure we’re up to date by the finale!

On Thursday Chris was on a later shift and so once I took the girls to school, he was still here when I got back. He did have a driving lesson though so he wasn’t around for long. Once he was gone, I settled down to watch all my TV shows. I kept meaning to go and vote but ended up procrastinating the day away. In the end I collected the girls from school and then went to vote instead.

It was actually pretty interesting going with the girls as it sparked some conversation between us, making it really good fun. We came home and had dinner, before tidying up the girls room – putting away all their clothes and giving the room a hoover. Nat came round in the evening and we spent the evening catching up and having a gossip.

Friday came really quick and once I’d dropped off the kids at school, I came home to spend time with Chris before he went to work. I then made some jewellery orders and tidied up the house. Finally I went out to PC World to do a Mystery Shopper visit and then on to the girls at school to collect them. On the way home we stopped at Aldi and it was there we met Amy and Olivia who were visiting for the weekend. We all went back to our house and hung out, Olivia going to bed first, followed later by the girls. Amy and I ordered Indian takeaway and spent the evening chatting, then when Chris got home we looked for the most awful thing we could watch on TV.

In the morning we all got up and got ready, heading out to Nottingham where we would see Disney on Ice. Chris didn’t come as he had work but the rest of us went to Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, for the show at 11am. Everyone really enjoyed it and I got some lovely pictures. I even posted about it over on Twice the Mum. The show took us up till about 1pm and we’d already decided we’d go to Five Guys for lunch and then on to the Disney Store in Victoria Shopping Centre after that. It was about a ten minute walk for lunch and then another ten minute wait in the queue. It definitely wasn’t as nice as in America but it was still good. After lunch we all headed to the shopping centre but to be honest there wasn’t an awful lot we wanted (I just placed a Disney Store order last week) so we just picked up a couple of Tsum Tsums and then headed back to the car. On the way home we decided we fancied Starbucks so swung via Lincoln. We stopped to get drinks and by that time it was 5pm so we knew it would be almost bedtime for the girls by the time we got back and settled. Olivia had some toast before heading to bed and the girls waited a bit longer to make sure she was asleep. Amy and I ordered a pizza to share and then sat chatting and watching rubbish TV again for the evening.

On Sunday morning, I managed a bit of a lie-in but mostly I was awake and just too lazy to get out of bed. However I did get up and made everyone a cup of tea/coffee and then we all sat relaxed. At midday, Megan and I took Amy and Olivia to the station. Lily stayed at home with Chris. After dropping them off, Megan and I went to Aldi and did the week shop, making sure we got stuff for a roast dinner that day too. The afternoon was spent just hanging out together as a family, relaxing and not doing much. Eventually though Megan and I got up to make dinner and then we all sat together and ate. Afterwards we had waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce, along with a glass of wine for Chris and I. It was really a perfect evening. The girls headed to bed and Chris went for a bath so I went on my computer for a while. After that we watched Dredd and then S.H.I.E.L.D. before heading to bed.

Another nice week that seemed dull at the time but always seems fuller when I write about it. No idea what this week will bring but I’ve got a feeling it will be a busy one.

13/52

March 29, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Loads of lovely pictures to choose from this week but I picked this as it was a lovely unexpected moment. We went to see Cinderella at the Odeon in Lincoln and Cinderella was there to great people. It was a lovely touch and even nicer for us as we’ll be doing it for real in a few days time when we get to Florida!