December 2022 - Page 2 of 2 - PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Currently In December

Hi, friends it’s great to be back today and linking up with Jennifer to talk about what we are currently loving, gifting, wrapping, hoping and attending in December. Currently In December Loving Currently, I have really been loving reading all the fun blogs about all things Christmas. And seeing everyone’s beautifully decorated homes! This year I have been struggling to get into the Christmas spirit as it has been one heck of a rough year. But as I have been reading so many inspiring blogs full of Christmas cheer. I am starting to feel a shift in my mood. Usually, by now our home would be completely decorated. And my lights would all be set up in the front garden. And I would most definitely be well and truly on top of my Christmas shopping. This year things are a whole lot different and I am so behind. But that’s ok, I’m learning to be kind to myself and let some things go. I won’t be setting up my lights in the front garden this year but I will set up our tree (soon). I may not decorate the house from top to bottom like I usually do. But I will do the best I can. So I guess I really want to take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has shared their lovely decorated homes, recipes, gift ideas and list of Christmas movies. I also want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my blog! And a huge thank you to everyone who kindly comments….gosh, you guys encourage me like there’s no tomorrow!! I have really loved reading the fun Christmas posts and I am so grateful to this most wonderful supportive blogging community. You guys have helped me enormously. I think that otherwise I would have been really tempted to just hide this Christmas. Yep, it’s been a rough year. Gifting To be honest I haven’t really started gifting anything yet. We are having our staff Christmas lunch this Saturday and I will be gifting then. But please don’t ask me what I’m gifting because I have no clue!! Sigh……I’m all over the place this Christmas time…ugh!! Anyway, we have a budget of $25.00 for our staff’s Kris Kringle gift and I haven’t bought anything yet. HELP!! Wrapping Again, if I was on top of things like a champ then I would be wrapping presents by now. I did go shopping on the weekend and I took advantage of David Jones’s free Christmas wrapping service. I was so stressed about being so behind. So I thought that if I could at least have a few presents ready to go then I would feel better. My lovely friend has said that she can come shopping with me this Sunday and this has lifted my spirits and given me a big dose of motivation!! So hopefully next week I will pull out all my ninja wrapping skills and get back on track with wrapping my presents while I watch Carols In The Domain. Hoping I am hoping that I can focus on the joy of being surrounded by my beautiful family this Christmas. Aaaaarghhhh!!! Grief is so hard all the time! But at Christmas time it is just ….what’s the word…..I can’t even think of a word! Unbearable, awful, blah! It just sucks!! Attending I am looking forward to attending our staff Christmas lunch this Saturday. We are going to a lovely fancy restaurant in the city. And I am very excited to be spending time with my lovely work colleagues in a grown-up environment and getting all dressed up. We spend the whole year up to our eyeballs in messy play, paint, glue, sandpit, waterplay and playdough. So our staff Christmas party is a huge highlight for us! I am also excited to hopefully attend my church’s Christmas eve carol service. It’s been a couple of years since we had a carol service because of covid. So I am really hoping to be able to attend this year. Carols really speak to my heart and I often find myself all choked up with emotion when I sing. As a family with South American roots, we always celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. So I know that I will be cutting it fine trying to get to the carol service and be on time for my family event. But where there’s a will……there is always a South American family who thankfully doesn’t always run on time haha!!! Well lovely friends that wraps up this month’s edition of Currently! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and read. I truly hope that you have the best day and I look forward to being back here on Friday.

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A Fun Weekend

4 Comments / Hello Monday, Home

Hi friends I hope that you all had a great weekend and are all ready to jump into a brand new week. It was so good to have the sun shining all weekend long. Bright sunny days and blue skies always lift my mood and make me feel motivated. The wind had a bit of a bite to it and it still didn’t feel quite like Summer. It kind of felt more like the beginning of spring or late autumn. Ha, I always seem to bring you a Sydney weather report every time! Anyway, it really was a fun weekend and I’m about to photo-bomb you with all of the Sydney sights I enjoyed. A Fun Weekend Friday Night But first up Friday night was our regular monthly ‘cousin connect’ as we call it. Our family meets up for dinner once a month either on Friday night or Saturday the first week of every month. We started this tradition in February this year and I am so grateful that we did. The weeks and months just roll by so fast and it’s so easy to forget to catch up with family. This had happened to us over the years. Our family all live pretty close by. But over the years we had let months slip by before we caught up with each other. Then when my mum became sick earlier in the year we were all so saddened and shocked. And truly rattled to our very core. We realised how disconnected we had become. And so we came up with the idea of monthly dinners and my little cousin gave our catch-ups the name ‘cousin connect’. So out of such a great loss, we have now started a wonderful family tradition. It was my cousin’s turn to host and she spoiled us with a most delicious dinner! We had ribs, wings, mac and cheese and salad. Very American! My cousin’s husband is from Ohio and I love hearing his accent. Their kids also have such a cute Australian/American accent. For dessert, we had a huge chocolate cake. It’s two of my cousin’s birthdays in December so we sang them a happy birthday. Their cute dog Amelia came up to me to say hello while we were eating. She probably fancied a treat. Saturday I spent the day with my lovely bestie in the city. We started off by browsing through the shops and admiring the lovely Christmas decorations. There were so many people shopping in the city. I think that everyone is just so happy to be out and about without any covid restrictions. But in saying this, my friend and I played it safe and wore our masks on the train and whenever we were around too many people. We stopped to look at the David Jones Christmas window display. But it was a bit underwhelming this year. It’s hard to see in the photos because of the reflection in the window. But it was just a whole lot of mechanical things and it reminded me of something out of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. We were feeling a bit hungry so we stopped for brunch. I had the bruschetta with a poached egg. My friend had smashed avocado with lots of rocket. Visiting The Art Galley Of NSW Afterwards, we walked over to see the opening of the new art gallery building. Here’s the original building. And next door is a very modern-looking building. The view from the back of the building was pretty spectacular. See that long grey building. That’s where Russell Crowe lives. I didn’t catch a glimpse of him though hehe. I thought that this big flower sculpture was bright and pretty. It was very spacious inside the new building and all the artworks were contemporary. This pic looks blurry but it’s not. The art was meant to be blurry! I think that this was the most interesting piece. It looks like a big skyscraper. But it’s just a whole lot of mirrors. I felt a bit dizzy looking down though. And then my friend noticed that all those colourful things on the levels were actually body parts. Hmmm………I’m not sure how I feel about contemporary art. It always leaves me feeling baffled and I’m not really a big fan. I felt the same way when we visited the MCA back in September. I did like these colourful windows. Then we got a chance to create some art for an exhibit. The instructions we were given were to roll out balls about the size of our palms. Then the best ones would be added to the middle of that huge table and that was the art! Look at our spectacular clay balls. Who knows? We may be commissioned to produce these amazing pieces of art!! It was therapeutic rolling our clay and we both agreed that we felt like we were at preschool (I’m lucky enough to work at preschool with my lovely friend). The Rocks Markets After the gallery visit, we walked over to the Rock’s “Christmas markets”. None of the stalls had anything Christmassy for sale which was a bit disappointing. We had a brief look and then stopped for a drink in an outdoor cafe. Saturday was such a fun day. I love getting out and about with my sweet friend and I’m excited to plan more outings for our summer holidays. Sunday I had a mini panic when I realised that I had not yet bought a single present for anybody. So I made a dash back into the city on Sunday afternoon. And I was on a mission to tick off some presents from my list. Luckily I found a few things and I even got the presents gift-wrapped for free. That’s one of the big perks of shopping at DJs. I feel a whole lot better now that I have started my shopping. I had every intention of doing this in November but November flew by in a flash

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gingerbread man decoration for December post

The First Weekend In December

6 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hey friends it’s so great to be back for this week’s Friday Favourites. Wow, so it’s the first weekend in December. Can you believe it? I know that I can’t! This week has flown past in a flash and I’m sure that the next few weeks will be exactly the same. Because December is just such a busy month! I don’t mind December being so busy because it is just such a fun month of planning, prepping and catching up with friends and family. Yes, it really is my favourite month of the year! As usual, I am linking up with Andrea and Erika today. Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me share with you a few of my favourites from this week. #1 I mentioned last week that I bought some new make-up for a wedding that I went to. I tried to do a smokey-eye look but I’m not sure how successful I was. I’m always very conservative when it comes to using makeup. But anyway I was happy with how my makeup turned out. And I’m sure that if I applied more than what I normally wear for special occasions then I just wouldn’t have felt comfortable anyway. I bought this lovely NARS eyeshadow palette from our local Mecca store. It has all of the earthy brown colours that make my heart sing! The bottom row of colours also had some nice shimmer. I was happy with all of the colours and how soft they were to blend together. I hadn’t bought any makeup for myself in ages. Because my mum used to love using Estee Lauder products. And she would always stock up on her face creams etc when they had gift pack offers. Then she would give me the gift packs which came with eyeshadows, lipstick, mascara and even sample-sized jars of eye and face cream. #2 I also bought an Hourglass eyeliner. Except for this time I went with a brown colour instead of the black colour that I normally use. As I’m getting older I think that black eyeliner looks a bit too intense and harsh on me. #3 I have been really happy with the Chanel lipstick that I always wear. But the bright dazzling lights in the Mecca store had me in a trance I think. Because I splurged and bought myself a new Hourglass lipstick (which looks very similar to the colour I already own 😬). The good thing about this lipstick is that I’m pretty sure that it can double up and be used as a self-defence weapon. Because look at the lid…….it’s super pointy!! #4 I went out to the front of the house to put the rubbish out and I spotted this big beautiful pink rose. It smelled so lovely too. It’s funny that I hadn’t really noticed it before but that’s probably because I don’t often put the rubbish out. That’s Sam’s job but he’s away until Monday. #5 I used the pledge grab-it duster to dust my blinds. It did an amazing job of picking up a lot of dust. Look at how grey and yucky the duster looked when I had finished. #6 Thursday night my bible study group got together for our end-of-year dinner. Our lovely hostess made us the most delicious cocktails. It was such a lovely evening! We started with an amazing cheese platter. Then for mains, we had a delicious fall-apart lamb with a variety of salads and sides. Then we finished off with a cheesecake and ice cream. #7 I was in Bed Bath and Table the other day and I saw this cute gingerbread man decoration. I nearly bought six for the tree but I was in one of my indecisive moods and I didn’t buy any. Then when I went home I couldn’t stop thinking about how cute they were and how I wished that I had gone ahead and bought them. Anyway, I was telling my friend this story and the next day she messaged me to say that she had found the last two at the shop and she had bought them for me. How sweet was that? So I’m very happy to have two of these cute gingerbread men. And next time I won’t be so indecisive!! I guess that wraps up my seven favourites for this week. As soon as I finish this post I’m going to get ready for our monthly family dinner at my cousin’s house. Then tomorrow I am so excited to spend the day with my bestie. We are heading into the city for the opening of the new building at The Art Gallery Of NSW. Then we are going to have a look at The Rocks Christmas markets. Going to a Christmas market is number one on my December bucket list. So I’m happy that I get to tick this off the list so early. I’m looking forward to a fun weekend and I hope that you have a great one too. Happy first weekend in December and Happy Friday!

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December Bucket list

6 Comments / Christmas

It’s the 1st of December and the first day of Summer here in Australia so I thought that I would share my December 2022 bucket list today. I love bucket lists even though I might not always get to tick all the things off. That’s ok because it’s always nice to make plans and have something to look forward to. It seems that the days just fly by so fast and then before I know it. We’ve already hit a new month or a new season and then it’s time for a new bucket list. December Bucket List Visit A Christmas Market I love visiting a Christmas market in December so that’s why I have put this on the top of my list. We have quite a few Christmas markets in Sydney where you can find things like. Fresh produce for your Christmas gatherings or cute gift ideas for your workplace Secret Santa. Visiting a Christmas market is also a great way to support small businesses and fill up on some Christmas cheer as you wander around the stalls. Host A Holiday Dinner Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas day lunch is usually a day we spend with family members. So why not go ahead and host a holiday dinner with friends during the month of December? We have a fun tradition where we get together with a group of close friends and indulge in a big Christmas feast. Then we end the evening by watching a Christmas movie. Each year we have traditionally watched ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’. After so many years we all seem to know the whole script by heart. Maybe it’s time for a new movie! Put Up The Christmas Tree And Decorate The House I wait until the first week of December to put my tree up and decorate the house for Christmas. We do this as a family and then when we are all finished. We will sit down to admire the lovely decorations and fairy lights over a cup of eggnog and a sweet treat. Play Christmas Music All December Once we hit the first day of December this is when I like to really crank up the Christmas music. I will listen to a variety of Christmas music depending on my mood. Some days I like soft Christmas jazz playing in the background. Other times I prefer listening to traditional Christmas carols and then there are days when I like to enjoy some of the more upbeat contemporary Christmas music. Go And See A Big Christmas Tree In Your City My December bucket list wouldn’t be complete without adding a visit to Martin Place to see the “tallest Christmas tree in NSW”. This beautiful Christmas tree is lit up with thousands of fairy lights and baubles as well as native Australian flowers. It is truly spectacular. Watch Christmas Movies There are just so many Christmas movies to choose from. I love rewatching my old favourites as well as some new ones too. I find that watching Christmas movies really gets me into the Christmas spirit. So this year I plan on making a list and ticking them off as I watch. Make A Gingerbread House You can find some really good gingerbread house kits in the shops. They have all the pieces that you need to put together a fantastic-looking gingerbread house. I like to add some of my own favourite lollies too. Enjoy A Holiday Drink At Starbucks Starbucks has some delicious festive favourites that will be sure to satisfy a sweet tooth. Next time you are busy Christmas shopping take a break and enjoy a gingerbread latte, frappucino or iced latte. Send Your Overseas Loved Ones A Christmas Card Send your loved ones a beautiful Christmas card with a handwritten message via good old-fashioned snail mail. I guarantee they will love this, I know that I love receiving cards in the mail. Spend An Evening Wrapping Christmas Presents I usually wait until I have bought all of the gifts and then I will spend an evening wrapping them while I watch the Carols In The Domain on TV. Every year around the middle of December a big lineup of Aussie stars perform carols in front of a huge audience in The Domain. It’s always televised live so I love to watch it in my comfy home as I wrap presents. Make Your Own Eggnog I have never made my own eggnog but this year this is something that I definitely plan on doing. I usually just buy eggnog from the grocery store. But my lovely co-worker has promised to give me a recipe which she says is THE BEST! I’m excited to try it. Make Some Christmas Cookies This year I want to set a day to bake and decorate Christmas cookies. I have to admit that I have wanted to do this every year but I have never managed to get around to it. One of the reasons is that it is usually so hot in December here in Australia. And the last thing I want to do is have the oven on. But having said that this year the temps have been unusually cooler. So thanks to La niña this might be the year for baking! Drive Around Your Neighbourhood To See The Christmas Lights Grab your family (yes even your reluctant teens) and drive around your neighbourhood to see the lights. I would love to fill a thermos with hot chocolate to enjoy. But in the past, we have just stopped off for ice cream because …..hello Summer! Go To Your Church Christmas Eve Carol Service This is one of my favourite December bucket list activities. Our church holds a Christmas Eve Carols service every year. Except for the last two years because of you know what. But this year they are back on again and I can hardly wait. There is something so special about singing those beautiful traditional carols that remind us about the birth of

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