Me on a Monday

It's been a present opening, family gathering, friends supporting, baby spoiling, house sorting, meat charring (on The Belgian's new gas BBQ), anniversary celebrating, auntie babysitting, Mcflurry sharing, cinema going, cupcake making, salad shaking, garden playing, sun shining, ice-lolly devouring, pirate party decorating, helium ballooning, blessing counting, heart exploding with love for my little one-year-old kinda weekend.

The best kind really.

The One with the Birthday and the Anniversary

Five years ago today, on a sunny day in Leeds, I married The Belgian after a year and a half 'courting.' We had a gorgeous photo shoot afterwards at Kirkstall Abbey and then got sealed for time and all eternity at the Preston Temple. 

It was a fantastic, whirlwind of a day filled with family, friends and great Thai food.

Today a year ago, after a traumatic and grueling ten hours (and three days!) ending in an emergency c-section our perfect little man was born. (Read more about the birth here.)

Our lives have never been the same since - in a good way. With less sleep.

Such happy memories of this year. Our anniversary is somewhat overshadowed as we spend the day celebrating and preparing for the pirate party tomorrow.

 

Can't believe our happy chappy is one year old. 

He is sociable, confident, sporty, strong, smiley, cheerful, lively, active and always entertaining. 

Here's to many more...

Currently...

Loving shopping for soft furnishings for our new place

Enjoying days off in the sun with friends, a picnic and babies

Anticipating summer holidays starting next Wednesday

Organising a pirate party for Ellis' first birthday on Saturday

Hoping the weather will be sunny on Saturday

Watching Orange is the New Black on Netflix

Catching up on blog reading

Me on a Monday

(old photo from a few weeks ago when the dream was still very much alive for us!)

It's been a child minder hunting, baby escaping (up the stairs), frozen yogurt making, project lifing, ignoring the unpacking, festival going, Costco perusing, mock exam marking, new top purchasing, works do attending, drunken colleague avoiding, picture framing, family chatting and skyping, poorly baby soothing, eye dropping kind of a week(end) here.

What have you been up to? 

What we're eating this week...

So I have a confession to make.

It's pretty embarrassing.

I am addicted to the Facebook group 'slow cooked wonders.'

Seriously what you can't cook in a slow cooker is not worth cooking.

Baked potatoes, eggs and even cakes.

Plus there are some pretty funny heated debates.

So I share with you seven things we have been enjoying round these parts - slow cooked or otherwise.

1) Skinny Enchilada Tostadas - am making these tonight.

They sound really easy, minimal ingredients and they sound delish.

2) Crock pot Hawaiian meatballs - I have made these twice recently as they are really tasty and really easy.

3) Slow cooker mushroom risotto - it was sloppier and stodgier than if you had made it on the stove, but there was no stirring involved and in this heat that is a bonus.

4) Slow cooker macaroni cheese - there seem to be lots of different recipes, but this was the most simple. I left it on a bit long, as I got distracted, and so the pasta was too mushy for my taste but still yummy.

5) Instant banana ice-cream that is healthy too - such a hit

6) I was seriously drooling over this pineapple fried rice pizza and definitely plan to have a go when life settles down a bit and there are less boxes to unpack and jobs to do around the place. In the meantime I got a good quality margarita pizza and topped it with fresh pineapple and pesto and it was very tasty indeed.

7) Lastly, since you can't make dinner every day of the week, we have discovered a new hang out in Leeds called Belgrave Hall that has a street feast once a month and so we took my sister to check it out. They had exciting treats like indi ices with spices and chilli in the ice-cream and the most delicious pizza from Dough Boys with unusual flavour combos like beetroot and goats cheese. The Belgian got a dripping burger from Patty Smiths and their chips were out of this world.

What have you been making recently?

One Photo Twenty Words: Simple joys

Boxes full of toys,

Some flash and make noise,

He is so easy to please,

as he prefers my keys!

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Joining in with the lovely Abby of Creating Paper Dreams