18 in 18 - an overdue update!

And... it's 9th December today so here is a really overdue 18 in 18 update. (The last one was 1st October!)

  

1.   Bake once per month (bread/cake/biscuits) Nothing found its way into my oven :(

2.   Plant new flower bed and child proof garden  Well I have the gardener has planted a new bed along the edge of the patio with lavender.  It will be a while before it's established but it will give a visual reminder of where the garden stops and the 3 ft drop down to the patio is.  She also put some spring bulbs in so hopefully I will have flowers in the spring.

3.   Sort out magazines. More reading to be done!

4.   Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal)  FAIL

5.   Eat at 4 new-to-me restaurants  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED but we did eat at some nice places while on our recent holiday, although we're unlikely to visit them again.

6.   Complete the A – Z  blogging challenge  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED

7.   Plan a family weekend away for next year NOT YET

8.   Walk at least 3 times per week  probably failed - haven't been keeping track

9.   Visit my brother  NOT YET

10.               Visit my cousin  NOT YET

11.               Visit the beach  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED

12.               Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)  Done!

In October & November I read:

The Love Trainer - Julia Llewellyn

Anything you do say - Gillian McCallister

Death Comes to Pemberley - PD James

The Little Christmas Kitchen - Jenny Oliver

Covent Garden in the Snow - Jules Wake

Into the Water - Paula Hawkins

The Guilty - David Baldacci

Details and Reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

One of my book clubs switches to Festive Reading at this time of year hence the various Festive Froth books on my list.  Not a lot of substance but they make for easy light-hearted reading.

 

13.               Keep my bullet journal updated  Better than last time but still not great.

14.               Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes) So can I average out these two months?  October was great because I completed the 31 day challenge but November was rubbish because we were on holiday and I sort of took a sabatical.

15.               Take more photos  Definitely an improvement - I used my camera rather than my phone while on holiday.

16.               Update my wardrobe . Previously completed

17.               Do more crafting – update on blog Hmm at the rate I'm going the babies will be toddlers before I finish their blankets.

     18.               Try out a new recipe each week Well I'm currently cheating on this one - we signed up to Hello Fresh so we're getting 3 new recipes per week at the moment and yes I am cooking them but not a lot of thought going into selecting which 3 meals we get.

Well I could find lots of excuses for rolling 2 reports into 1 and the lack of progress made in many areas.  But I'm not going to feel bad about it.  When I set myself these targets at the beginning of the year it seemed a good idea and some of them have been helpful.  Others could get depressing but I won't be letting that happen.  Clearly there are things I need to work on and some I just need to DO.  If I decide to do a 19 in 19 list I might have to be more realistic in my choices!  

Actually I'm just going to blame these 3 for my failings!

18 in 18 - September Update

And... it's 1st October today so here is my 18 in 18 September update.

 

1.   Bake once per month (bread/cake/biscuits) I baked a cheesecake!  Ok so not much baking involved and the recipe was really simple but it was delicious. (You can check it out here.)

2.   Plant new flower bed and child proof garden  NOT YET

3.   Sort out magazines. More reading to be done!

4.   Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal)  FAIL

5.   Eat at 4 new-to-me restaurants  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED

6.   Complete the A – Z  blogging challenge  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED

7.   Plan a family weekend away for next year NOT YET

8.   Walk at least 3 times per week  FAIL - but I did have the excuse of an injured knee.

9.   Visit my brother  NOT YET

10.               Visit my cousin  NOT YET

11.               Visit the beach  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED

12.               Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)  Way ahead - I only need to read 1 more!

In September I read:

Dead Line - Stella Rimington

Insidious Intent - Val McDermid

Camino Island - John Grisham

Our House - Louise Candlish

Plus the first 6 in a series of books by Cathy Woodman all based around vets and doctors in a Devon village. 

Details and Reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

13.               Keep my bullet journal updated  Total fail.

14.               Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes) much better - I managed 22 blogs in September.  Many of those were memes or book reviews but there were a few other posts in there too.

15.               Take more photos  FAIL

16.               Update my wardrobe . Previously completed

17.               Do more crafting – update on blog Some progress made on babies blankets but nothing new to report.

     18.               Try out a new recipe each week Well I didn't manage one every week but in one week I tried out 3 so getting back into the swing of planning ahead and being more adventurous.

A bit of a mixed report again.  Some ups some downs.  It's been a tricky month with my knee injury.  Obviously I got a lot of reading done and more blogging but it wasn't a very productive month in other ways.

I think my report card would still say "Could do better" 

18 in 18 August (non) report!

Well I am declaring August a holiday month for my 18 in 18 challenge.

A progress report would be embarrassing.

A spell of VERY hot weather left me feeling very lethargic and then we had a family holiday.  So it was a good month for spending time with family but not for anything challenging.

Maybe next month will be better.  It needs to be as this year is rapidly disappearing!

And... it's August! (18 in 18 July update)

Well we're now in August (how?) so here is my 18 in 18 - July update

 

1.   Bake once per month (bread/cake/biscuits) FAIL

2.   Plant new flower bed and child proof garden  NOT YET

3.   Sort out magazines. Still need to catch up on reading them!

4.   Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal)  FAIL

5.   Eat at 4 new-to-me restaurants  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED

6.   Complete the A – Z  blogging challenge  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED

7.   Plan a family weekend away for next year NOT YET

8.   Walk at least 3 times per week  FAIL

9.   Visit my brother  NOT YET

10.               Visit my cousin  NOT YET

11.               Visit the beach  PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED

12.               Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)  Still on track.  In July I read:

The Simple Truth - David Baldacci

The President is Missing - Bill Clinton & James Patterson

The Lying Game - Ruth Ware

Guilt - Amanda Robson &

Those Who Lie - Diane Jeffrey

Details and Reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

13.               Keep my bullet journal updated  Doing better

14.               Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes) FAIL (July has been my worst blogging month so far this year.)

15.               Take more photos  FAIL

16.               Update my wardrobe . Previously completed

17.               Do more crafting – update on blog FAIL

     18.               Try out a new recipe each week FAIL

Oh my goodness that does not make good reading. But here's my defence. We had visitors for 10 days. Which was lovely but of course it does throw normal routines out the window. It has also been VERY hot. Yes I know it's summer but for virtually the whole of July the temperature has been in the high 20s or low 30s. (C) On the 27th July we hit 34 degrees C. I do not function well in the heat. We do not have air con. We have fans. Portable fans that get moved around the house depending on where we are. It has not been the weather for slaving over the stove trying out new recipes. It has been the sort of weather where you don't want to be doing anything energetic.

The journey over the Nathan's house has been very uncomfortable. The trains are air conditioned but they are also so crowded that you don't really notice it. They are supposed to be switching from diesel fuelled trains to electric powered trains which will have more capacity. The switch was supposed to happen at the end of the summer. Now they are talking November. In the meantime the extra trains that used to run during the rush hours have been withdrawn which actually means a reduction in capacity, hence more crowded trains and shorter tempers in the heat.

But there is an upside to this. There was a time when I could not use public transport. Anxiety prevented me from being out of my comfort zone. Now I'm happier to take the crowded train than go by car. It's not a pleasant journey but the trains are usually reliable and run to time. Door to door it takes an hour. In the car it's far less predictable and I can't drive and read! Reading makes the journey pass quickly and I haven't missed my stop. Yet!

18 in 18 - June update

Well this is my June update even though we are so far into July I considered combining the two months.  We've had lots going on so I am totally out of routine with lots of things. 

 

1.   Bake once per month (bread/cake/biscuits) FAIL

2.   Plant new flower bed and child proof garden  NOT YET

3.   Sort out magazines. Sorted but need to catch up on reading them!

4.   Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal)  We managed an Afternoon Tea and a meal out this month.

5.   Eat at 4 new-to-me restaurants  The meal out was at a new restaurant for me - "Arch Rivals" - will I'd be happy to revisit.  That means I've completed this challenge!

6.   Complete the A – Z  blogging challenge  Done!

7.   Plan a family weekend away for next year NOT YET

8.   Walk at least 3 times per week  I'm still walking but more variety still needed.  I always walk when looking after Nathan so that's 2 out of 3 each week but we do tend to do the same routes.

9.   Visit my brother  NOT YET

10.               Visit my cousin  NOT YET

11.               Visit the beach  COMPLETED

12.               Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)  Still on track.  In June I read:

First Family - David Baldacci

The Summer of Impossible Things - Rowan Coleman

The Sunday Lunch Club - Juliet Ashton

On a Beautiful Day - Lucy Diamond &

Foreign Fruit - Jojo Moyes

Details and Reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

13.               Keep my bullet journal updated  FAIL

14.               Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes) FAIL

15.               Take more photos Lots of baby pics t.aken!

16.               Update my wardrobe .  Oh yes!  Hubby booked me a session with a personal shopper at a nearby department store for my birthday.  Safe to say I have lots of new clothes.

17.               Do more crafting – update on blog FAIL

18.               Try out a new recipe each week FAIL

   Far too many "FAILS" or "NOT YET" on that list. But we did have a fun month visiting babies, eating out, buying new clothes etc as well as the usual routines of looking after Nathan.

18 in 18 - May Report

Well we're into week 2 of June and I'm only just getting to do my May report.  I'm beginning to accept that sometimes life just gets busy and complicated and joyful and busy!  Which of course means plans go astray.  Even the best laid plans!  

The arrival of our second Grandson, 3 weeks early on 17th May, disrupted plans but of course in the nicest possible way.  And then at the very end of the month Grandson #3 started his birth journey and arrived on 1st June.  All my Grandsons had June due dates but Rory was the only one to hang on (just) for June and even he was 2 weeks early.

So a wonderful month in terms of family life, not so good for meeting challenges but here's the run down:

 
1.   Bake at least once a month.

Didn't happen!

3.  Sort out magazines
Well I've got them organised.  Now I just need to go through and pull out anything I want to keep, receipes etc.  Oh and read the ones I haven't even looked at!
4. Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal)
Well it wasn't planned, but sometimes spontaneous is more fun.  One Tuesday after we'd been looking after Nathan all day we decided to eat out at one of the local pubs.  It also happened to be Quiz Night so we decided to join in.  We had a fun evening and managed to not finish last!  (Who knew that listening to an advert for chocolate would provide the answer to Audrey Hepburn singing Moon River in Breakfast at Tiffany's!  Especially when I've never seen the film.  Surreal moment of the night for me lol)

5.   Eat at 4 new to me restaurants

I actually ate at 2 new restaurants this month.  One was an Italian restaurant while we were away in Lincolnshire.  The food was lovely, I even took some photos!

Salmon & Prawn Starter

Chicken with a yummy mushroom sauce

There were vegetable sides to go with the chicken main course and sadly I had no space left for dessert!  Of course this won't count as 1 of my 4 new restaurants (they need to be ones we'll return to) but a trip to "Filika" in nearby Wanstead will.

Filika is billed as a Mediterranean restaurant and has received good reviews since its recent opening.  I went there with 2 former work colleagues and we had a lovely time.  They have a varied menu and the food and service were excellent.  This is definitely a keeper for me and will be going back with hubby. 6.  Complete the A - Z Challenge Well you know I completed this but I've now signed up for the Road Trip, which means trying to visit all the other blogs who've signed up before the challenge starts again next year.  This is quite a nice thing to do because during the challenge it's hard to keep up and visit other blogs.  Sign up closes later this month, then I'll try and set out how many blogs I need to visit each week to get through the list.

8. Walk at least 3 times per week –  I need to work on this.  I'm definitely walking (especially with Nathan) but my routes are a bit repetitive.  Need to vary things a bit.

9. Visit my brother
Almost!  When we travelled to Nottingham to meet Noah (Grandson #2) we decided to have a few days away and planned to visit my brother.  Unfortunately he had also planned a break away.  So we were near his home but he wasn't!  Hopefully on another trip we'll meet up.

11. Visit the beach 

Yes!  Our break away took us to the Lincolnshire coast and we had several walks along beaches.

12.  Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)  Still ahead of schedule :)

In May I read:

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
An Englishwoman in New York - Anne-Marie Casey
Dancing Over the Hill - Cathy Hopkins
The Fix - David Baldacci &
First Family - David Baldacci
I even started one book and gave up on it!

Details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

13.  Keep my bullet journal updated – 

May started out well and then it went to pot with babies arriving!  Definitely needs work!

14.  Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes) – 

hmm, well it's a good job it's easy to post book reviews when recording them on Goodreads otherwise my blog would be really suffering from a lack of entries.

I did manage 15 posts in May which is always going to be less than April but it could be better.

15. Take more photos
Well I did take some while we were away and of course I've taken lots of babies recently!

This is where we stayed in Burham Market

 

17. Do more crafting – update on blog.   Work on the two baby blankets is ongoing.  Note to self - try not to be so ambitious with projects!

18. Try out a new recipe each week – I managed one in May, a Chicken chow mein recipe.  It was ok but I don't think it's one that will get repeated too often.

But.....I did a take a photo!

Actually looking back over the report May wasn't too bad!

18 in 18 - April Report

 

Part of me feels this report is hardly worth doing.  April has been a bad month for my 18 in 18 challenge.  It started with me having another horrible cold and cough and major changes to my routine as I'm now looking after my Grandson 2 days a week.

 

The first two weeks of the month I just felt exhausted and it's only now as we start a new month that I'm feeling that I'm getting to grips with this new responsibility.  I love looking after Nathan.  He is adorable, but he also needs a lot of interaction.  My voice is exhausted by the end of the day.  On the plus side I'm coping with using public transport and I'm getting a lot of exercise.

 

Anyway as for progress (or lack of it) here's the low down.

5.   Eat at 4 new to me restaurants

One down, three to go.  I met up with some former work colleagues at the beginning of the month and we went to an Indian restaurant in Wanstead that I hadn't been to before.  It wasn't anything special and fortunately there was an off licence next door as they don't have a licence so it's Bring Your Own Bottle.  But the company made up for the shortfalls.
6.  Complete the A - Z Challenge
Success!  I managed the 26 entries, all on time.  I would like to have been more organised and visited more new blogs but given everything else going on I'm just pleased to have completed it.

8.     Walk at least 3 times per week – 
Just about managed this thanks to Nathan!

12.  Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)  Still ahead of schedule :)

In April I read:

A Small Weeping - Alex Gray 
Sleep Like the Dead - Alex Gray
I am Missing - Tim Weaver
Bring Me Back - B A Paris and
The Fear - C L Taylor

Details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

13.  Keep my bullet journal updated – totally sidelined this during April.  Too much going on.  Making a fresh start today.

14.  Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes) – well I blogged almost every day in April thanks to the A-Z challenge but I didn't always do the regular memes but definitely a good month for my blog.

16.  Update my wardrobe

Well I'm not sure when I actually did it but I have been through my wardrobe and weeded out a lot of clothes I no longer wear so phase 1 achieved.  Now I just need to assess what I need to go out and buy.

17. Do more crafting – update on blog.  
Well I've now started on the main part of the 2nd baby blanket I committed to making.  (Both sons are due to become Dads in June) but not noted on my blog.

18. Try out a new recipe each week – I gave up on this for April.  Getting used to the new routine, helping our son move house and being unwell meant cutting back on any additional workload.

Oh dear.  Looking at it in black and white (and red!) makes me realise how much I slipped off track.  I don't even have any relevant photos.  But today is the start of a new month.  I've posted on my blog.  I've walked.  I've read.  And now I'm off to bed with my bullet journal.

 

Hopefully next month's report will see an improvement.

We're away for a few nights next week so I'm definitely going to get to the beach and I might even get to see my brother!  I'll try and remember to take a camera!

18 in 18 - March Report

After the short month of February I thought I would get more done in March but the last week just seemed to fly by and this report probably isn't going to be great.  Here’s an update on the things I’ve achieved or made progress on.  Or not!  I don't have any excuses this month, no illnesses, no terrible weather but it was busy including hosting and catering a meal for 14 people, a weekend away with our kids for our son's 30th birthday and culminated with the Easter Weekend which also included Nathan's 1st birthday.  (Where did that year go?)  I need to be more organised.

1.     Bake once per month (bread/cake/biscuits etc) Success - I made a baked chocolate cheesecake for the family meal we hosted. It was delicious!  It's something I've made a few times and it's always well received.  Probably because it contains lots and lots of calories!

4.     Plan a lunch date/date night with Nick once a month (theatre/cinema/meal)

Again no quiet romantic evenings but we did have some good family times.
6.  Complete the A - Z Challenge
A work in progress but I'm not as ahead as I hoped to be.

8.     Walk at least 3 times per week – 
Managed this - it helped that I've been taking care of Nathan quite a bit and that usually taking him out in the buggy for a walk to get him to nap!

12.  Complete my reading challenge (52 books for the year)  Ahead of schedule :)

In March I read:

The Husband's Secret - Liane Moriaty
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
The Breakdown - B A Paris
Redemption Road - Lisa Ballyntyne
Pitch Black - Alex Gray and
Five Ways to Kill a Man - Alex Gray

Details and reviews can be found on my Goodreads site.

13.  Keep my bullet journal updated – this slipped a bit towards the end of the month.  I need to get back on top of it.

14.  Blog at least once per week (plus regular memes) – well I managed 17 posts which was the same as February but I missed some of the regular memes so a bit hit and miss.

15. Take more photos –this feels a bit like Groundhog day.  I must do better but I did photograph one of the meals - see below.

17. Do more crafting – update on blog.  
Last month I reported that I'd started on the edging of the baby blanket.  I’ve almost finished it so progress made!

18. Try out a new recipe each week – I managed this almost every week and did average one a weeks so I'm happy with that.
I made the following:

Chicken in Black Bean Sauce - ok but black beans are not my favourite

Braised Pork Chops - this was good
Broccoli and Leek Pasta - cooked this at my daughter's, it was ok but I'm not a great vegetarian
Pork Normandy - this was delicious
Lamb curry - this was quite mild but that's how I like my curry!

Preparing for the curry

The end result

Baked Chocolate Cheesecake

Well activity on 10 of my 18 which is one more than last month but there's still plenty of room for improvement.