September 2022 - Page 2 of 2 - PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Things I Am Thankful For This Week

I just wanted to start by acknowledging the loss of our lovely Queen Elizabeth II. On Thursday night there was a statement from The Palace expressing that they were very concerned about her health. Friday morning I woke up to the very sad news that she had passed. I have always admired the Queen’s grace and dignity, her commitment to serving her country, and most of all her faith. Today is a sad day and marks the end of an era. Rest In Peace, Your Majesty. This sweet picture came up on my Facebook feed. After such a sad loss I am feeling a bit flat. I guess for me, today’s post will not just be about favourites but also about the things that I am thankful for this week. Life is short and precious, and I want to always appreciate all the blessings that I have experienced throughout the week whether they are big or small. #1 The first thing I am thankful for this week is our lovely Monday night dinner with friends at our local club. I think a designated monthly get-together is probably one of the best ways to stay connected with friends. We’ve been catching up once a month with this group of fun friends for quite a few years now. I’m so glad that we do otherwise, we might have easily lost contact with them because life just gets so busy! We usually like to drink sparkling wine during our dinner. My friend who I was sitting next to ordered a Canadian Club. I remember that I had tried one earlier in the year and really liked it. So I decided to have one too, it’s really smooth, sweet, and low in alcohol which I really like. I had my usual steamed barramundi with rice which I love! I always think about ordering something different. But then I don’t because this is just too delicious! For dessert, we had a super moist orange cake served with ice cream. It was so good!! #2 I bought this fold-up shopping bag during my shopping trip to Ikea last weekend. This bag is the best because it comes with two handle options. You can use the short handles to carry it like a normal shopping bag or you can use the long handles to carry your things over your shoulder. It folds up super thin and I can carry it in my small cross-body bag. The NSW government banned single-use plastic bags this year which is a good thing. So I always like to have a fold-up shopping bag with me just in case I need one. Haha, funny how a small practical thing like this can make me so happy! #3 Steve and I went out for dinner on Wednesday night with another couple who we have been friends with forever. They are more like family than friends and we enjoyed the best seafood platter! Each gigantic platter was for two so we had two of these towers on our small table for the four of us. It was a great night and we had no problem at all getting through all of that seafood. After such a lovely meal we just had to have dessert! #4 It was Educators Day on Thursday so one of our thoughtful colleagues brought some delicious sweets to celebrate! I had an almond biscuit with a nice cup of tea during my lunch break. It was exciting to have something other than playdough and vegemite in the staff fridge! Haha #5 I have been buying this sourdough from the local fruit shop that I walk past every day. It’s so delicious and I find that when I eat it I don’t feel bloated like I do sometimes when I eat regular wholemeal bread. #6 I am trying to have at least one meat-free meal during the week. So I made a very easy lentil pasta on Thursday. #7 A nice reader asked for some more Spring photos. So I was more than happy to snap some pics of all the lovely flowers that I have been spotting on my walks to and from work. I just love all the colourful flowers that are popping up everywhere. #8 Friday afternoon when I was walking home from work the sky went dark and the thunder started to rumble. I had to grab a few things from the fruit shop along the way. Luckily I made it inside the shop just before the rain poured and the thunder came crashing down. So I grabbed a few things that I needed and by the time I came out which would have been maybe 15 minutes later, the sun was shining and there was even a rainbow in the sky. I snapped a photo of the rainbow and sent it to my lovely friend. Ever since my mum passed away earlier this year. My sweet, kind friend sends me a photo of a rainbow whenever she spots one. She lost her beloved mum many years ago and she shared with me that when she sees a rainbow in the sky it’s like a sign that her mum is sending her love from Heaven. I love this so much and it always makes my heart sing when I get a rainbow photo from her. And so now we say that both our mamas are sending us love all the way from Heaven. I am truly thankful for being so blessed with friends like her in my life. She sent me this photo of her adorable little boy with a beautiful rainbow a few months ago. It’s so special and I am so happy that I can share it with you today. Isn’t he just the cutest? My friend also has two other children and I love them so much!! ********** I guess that wraps up eight things that I am thankful for this week. I can hardly believe how fast this week has flown by.

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Easy Mediterranean Couscous Recipe

7 Comments / Recipes

This Easy Mediterranean Couscous recipe is packed full of nutrients and it is the ideal side dish or it can also be eaten as a complete meal. Best of all it will take very little time and effort to make. It’s perfect for those nights when you want to cook your family a healthy meal but have no energy to fuss around in the kitchen after a busy day. This easy Mediterranean couscous recipe is also perfect for when you entertain guests at your next dinner party. All the colours of the ingredients make it look very appealing and you can easily serve it hot or cold. What Is Couscous And Why Is It So Good For You? I used to think couscous was a grain but I was wrong. Couscous is actually made from a mixture of semolina and water. It is then rolled into tiny balls. So couscous is a type of pasta and it originates from Northwest Africa. The great thing about couscous is that it is so versatile. The other night I felt like a bit of a change from the usual rice or potatoes. So I made my Easy Meditteranean Couscous as a side dish. Then because we had leftovers I took some to work for lunch the next day and my son took some to school too. My family really enjoys this recipe, it’s a big winner in our house and I make it often. Best of all it’s super easy to whip up and full of natural goodness. So I thought that I would share it with you today. But first, let’s talk about all the health benefits couscous has so we can all get really excited about couscous! Health Benefits Of Couscous Whole-grain couscous contains fibre. We all need a good amount of it in our diets because fibre will keep us feeling fuller longer. It can also help to lower cholesterol. Couscous is a fantastic source of plant-based protein which is essential if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. Couscous contains selenium an essential antioxidant that helps our bodies to repair damaged cells, reduce inflammation contributes to a healthy thyroid function According to Healthline couscous may even be beneficial in reducing cancer risk. Apart from all the significant health benefits that couscous has. One of the reasons why I really like to include it in our meals. Is because it is just so easy to prepare. You can make couscous with just simple ingredients like water or broth. Or you can go all out and add fancy ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes, capsicum, olives, feta cheese, and grilled chicken. The choice is yours and the possibilities are endless. Easy Mediterranean Couscous Recipe Ingredients 1 1/2 cups of boiling water 1 1/2 cups of instant couscous small red onion clove of garlic 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp coriander powder (or you can add a handful of chopped fresh coriander to garnish at the end) medium-sized zucchini small red capsicum one cube of chicken stock. I like to use Massel stock cubes 200 grams tinned tomatoes tin of chickpeas olives olive oil Instructions Make the instant couscous first and set aside-Simply add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water to 1 1/2 cups of couscous. I use the San Remo couscous. Check the water/broth instructions on the packet of your preferred couscous. Chop onion and garlic then drizzle pan with olive oil and cook for 5 minutes Add chopped zucchini, capsicum, tinned tomatoes, cumin, and coriander powder to the pan and cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Be careful not to overcook. Add the stock cube and tinned chickpeas. Cook for a further minute Mix all the cooked ingredients into your premade couscous Add pitted olives. Mix through and drizzle with olive oil. This Mediterranean couscous can be served either hot or cold as a salad. Enjoy! This recipe serves about 4 Other Ingredients You Might Like To Add To This Easy Mediterranean Couscous Recipe Grilled chicken Baked pumpkin cut into cubes Cooked lamb Pine nuts Cooked beef strips Fall apart roasted pork Feta Cheese Tuna

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The First Weekend Of Spring

7 Comments / Hello Monday

Hi, friends welcome back to today’s Hello Monday post where I am linking up with Holly and Sarah. I really hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are feeling recharged and pumped for a brand-new week. It was the first weekend of Spring and it was full of family fun, just the way I like it! A Fun Family Get Together We started the first weekend of Spring with our monthly family dinner. We have officially given our first Friday of the month gatherings a title and it is now called ‘Cousin Connect’. My cousin Jessie came up with this name, and it fits like a charm because we are all cousins. Sure we are all related in different ways but ultimately we are all cousins. We had such an amazing time and I always leave these dinners with a sore face from smiling and laughing so much! I love that we can talk about anything. You name it and we can discuss it whether it’s politics, current affairs, or anything. The hot topic for this ‘Cousin Connect’ was sausage rolls vs meat pies. Just in case you might not know a sausage roll is sausage meat that is wrapped up in puffed pastry. I’m not quite sure of its origin but it is a popular Aussie food and we eat them as a snack or for lunch. And a meat pie is, you guessed it a pie with a meat and gravy filling. Well, we were all in hysterics over everyone’s preferences and their reasons as to why they were either team sausage roll or team meat pie. The arguments were just so funny and I couldn’t pick a side. I love meat pies and sausage rolls the same! Two Birthdays For dinner we had some really delicious Thai food and then for dessert we had not one but two birthday cakes. Two of our cousins share the same birthday on the 5th of September. So it was a perfect night to celebrate as we were all together. Ikea Festival To celebrate the beginning of Spring. Our local Ikea store held a festival! My cousin Terry and I went along and we had the best time! There was a DJ at the entrance and he was playing some really great music. A nice Ikea lady was handing out some scratch and wins. Terry and I scratched and discovered that we had won a cinnamon roll. But I get the feeling that everyone was a winner that day. We tried some veggie balls. There was also a nail salon. But the queue was a bit too long so we gave it a miss. We stopped for a snack in the cafeteria. Then we watched a demonstration which was all about how to build your own terrarium. Terry has recently moved into a new home and she needed some storage containers. So she found some that she liked and I also bought a few bits and pieces. It was a really fun morning. I love spending time with my sweet cousin. Father’s Day Sunday was Father’s Day and we had lunch with our boys to celebrate. Steve had to go to work in the late afternoon but we were happy that we were able to spend some time together and enjoy a delicious lunch. We started with some of Steve’s favourites. Smoked salmon and prawns. Then we had some roast beef, chicken skewers, salad, and roast veggies. YUM! I made Steve a personalised Father’s Day card. He was chuffed that I put his photo on the back. Here he is holding the beloved trophy that he won at his swim club earlier this year. We gave him a polo shirt and sandals that I bought last week during my shopping trip to the city and a couple of Krispy Kreme donuts. After all the fun Steve had to go to work. Luke and Sam went off to play ‘Pokémon GO’ for a bit. Haha, yep they are both Pokémon fans. It was so nice to see Luke and Sam hang out together. There is a big eleven-year gap between them and Luke lives about half an hour away by car. So because everyone is so busy with work and school etc. We only get to see Luke and his lovely fiancee a couple of times a month. They both came home after about an hour of catching some rare Pokémon and we decided to watch a movie together. I made some microwave popcorn. Then we flicked through Netflix and we all agreed to watch ‘Fight Club’ because we hadn’t seen it before. Oh my goodness what a weird movie! None of us really enjoyed it at all. But the three of us agreed that we were glad to have finally watched it. Mainly because it’s one of those famous movies that is often quoted in popular culture. Afterward, we were all keen to watch a feel-good episode of something so that we could erase the memory of the movie. Haha! Anyway, all in all, the first weekend of Spring was a really fun one! I was so happy to have spent so much precious time with my family. Thanks so much for stopping by today and I really hope you all have a fantastic week. Happy Monday friends! Sharing on

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Favourite Moments From This Week

5 Comments / Friday Favorites

Hi everyone It’s so good to be back today sharing with you some favourite moments from this week. As usual, I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for today’s fun post. Thanks so much for stopping by I always appreciate each and every one of you! It’s a quick 10 favourites for today, so let’s jump right in. #1 My number one favourite this week is that we have finally hit spring! It’s so good to see the flowers starting to bloom and feel the days starting to warm up. Oh, it’s just so wonderful I feel like skipping!! #2 Last Saturday was super relaxed and I spent the whole day at home wearing my favourite top that pretty much summed up my day. #3 I tried a new candle and I am loving it. Best of all it was half price and I got it from Woolworths when I did my usual online shop. I had never tried this scent before but I gave it a go and I am so glad that I did. It’s really lovely and subtle. Best of all it was discounted from $25.00 to $12.50. #4 Another one of my favourite moments for this week is sharing dessert with Steve while binge-watching some TV. This was his creation and it tasted great. Ice cream, chocolate-covered peanuts, crushed cookies, and caramel syrup. #5 On Monday I blogged about my weekend shopping trip to the city. I picked up a father’s day present as well as a couple of things for myself that I couldn’t resist. #6 I had my eye on this cute leather hand sanitizer case from The Daily Edit (tde) for ages. So I went ahead and bought it. I got my initials monogrammed on the case as it was all included in the price. The lady in the store laughed when I told her that I wasn’t sure about my initials because unfortunately they could quite easily be read as RIP. Haha!! #7 These pastries from David Jones are just the best. So I bought one for each one of us. I was very popular when I got home and presented these goodies to my family. #8 On Thursday I shared about some sustainable beauty products from my friend’s online shop Aroma Of Earth. This body scrub is just amazing and I can’t stop telling everyone about it! My knees and elbows get very dry, especially during winter and this scrub is working a miracle on them. If you check out their website you’ll find that it’s full of gorgeous handcrafted beauty products. #9 I bought my favourite chocolate bar for my weekend treat. This bar is full of delicious nuts and Cadbury chocolate is just the best! #10 A preschool favourite for this week- During our music group time, we often end with this beautiful song called ‘I am Australian’. The children form a circle and link arms as they sing along. I really wish that I could show you our preschool kids doing this. It’s just so special and I get all choked up every single time. I have linked the youtube video that we sing along to below for you to see. It’s only very short but I just love the lyrics and the music. Oh my goodness I’m getting emotional typing this! I guess that just about wraps up my favourite moments from this week. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. And I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday!

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Sustainable Beauty Products

8 Comments / Beauty and Self Care

Hi, everyone! On yesterday’s post. I mentioned that I had been really loving some sustainable beauty products from my friend’s online shop called Aroma Of Earth. So today I wanted to share with you a bit more about them. But first of all, I have to say that this is not a sponsored post and I will get no commission on any sales based on my recommendations. I just wanted to tell you about some great sustainable health and beauty products because I really think they are fantastic and if you tried them. I’m sure that you would love them too. Sustainable Beauty Products Reasons Why I Love Products From Aroma Of Earth They’re all about sustainability and I think that this is super important. Aroma Of Earth produces excellent quality sustainable beauty products that help keep the environment clean and liveable. Their products are all ethically sourced and don’t contain any nasty chemicals. Furthermore, their products are also vegetarian and vegan-friendly. Their sustainable beauty products smell amazing and are beautifully handcrafted with genuine care for their customers as well as the planet. Some Products That I Have Tried And Loved Body Scrub This gorgeous body scrub is made from all-natural ingredients. Like brown sugar, mango butter, shea butter, and jojoba oil just to name a few. I have been massaging it on my body after my shower. Concentrating on my knees and elbows because these are the areas that need extra moisture. My skin feels so much smoother and hydrated. We are just coming out of winter here in Australia and into the warmer months. So I’m feeling much more confident about wearing shorts and t-shirts after using this luxurious body scrub. Relaxation Massage Oil I have had this annoying pain on the right side of my neck. I’m guessing that it’s a result of tension and carrying a heavy bag to and from work every day. Anyway since I have been using this massage oil I have started to feel the pain melt away. I also really like that it doesn’t leave behind a strong smell. The massage oil actually has a very refreshing scent and when my son kissed me goodbye the other day. He commented on how fresh I smelled! Geranium Bath Salt One of my big goals for this year has been to work on my self-care. These geranium bath salts are just so good! Last Friday night I dissolved these in a nice warm bath and indulged in a relaxing bath to wash away the stress of the working week. I love working with children but trust me. By Friday I am more than ready for some very much-needed downtime. Lemongrass Soap I love the smell of lemongrass! It just smells so clean and fresh so I often use it in my diffuser. I also use lemongrass oil in a cleaning hack that makes my home smell amazing. So because of my love for the clean smell of lemongrass. Then it’s no wonder that I am excited about this soap! It not only smells great but it leaves my skin feeling so smooth. And the reason is that it is packed full of natural oils instead of harsh ingredients. So my skin doesn’t feel dry like it does when I use regular soap. I am really excited about the beautiful sustainable beauty products from Aroma Of Earth. I really encourage you to check out their website where they have so many more amazing products and the good news is they do international shipping too! I’m all for supporting small businesses, especially ones like this one where the founders and owners really stand for some very important principles and values. Hope you have the best day!

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