December 2023 - PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Christmas 2023 Recap

Hello there friends! It’s great to be back today to share a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day recap. It sure was fun! I was super excited that this year Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday. So that meant that my husband could celebrate Christmas with us as Sundays are his day off and he didn’t have to go to work. It was also a big bonus for me because I could go to my usual 10.30 am church service and enjoy singing the carols. I love Christmas carols, don’t you? Typically, I miss out on the Christmas Eve carol service because they are always on at around 6 pm. This is the time that my family gets together for our big Christmas celebration. But this year I got to sing my heart out in the morning at church and then enjoy Christmas Eve with my family -win/win! Christmas Eve Carol Service The church was packed for the Christmas Eve carol service and I don’t think I have ever seen it this full. There was a fun ‘Lego masters’ challenge where contestants had to build the nativity scene out of Lego pieces within a certain time frame of two Christmas carols. After church, I went home to prepare the Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham to take to my cousin’s house as this year she was hosting. I was so happy that it turned out great and tasted so good! I also took a cheese and bacon Cobb loaf which had three types of delicious cholesterol-inducing cheese as well as cream and of course bacon. My clever cousin and her creative daughter (our youngest cousin in the family). They made everyone personalised glasses and mini cheese boards. How cute!! We enjoyed some delicious nibbles and cranberry cocktails to start with. We had a naughty table and a nice table. Then we tucked into the most amazing Christmas spread! On the menu, we had turkey, ham, potato salad, Waldorf salad, beetroot salad, and caramelised sweet potato. After all that delicious food it was time to open presents. Followed by a bit of karaoke and then the highly anticipated party games! Every year I think to myself how on earth am I going to come up with new games? But sure enough, thanks to scouring through Instagram and YouTube I always find some hilarious inspiration. This year my little cousin helped me with the games. She read out the instructions and started the games with a ready-set go. She was also a champ at keeping score. My skills as a preschool educator came in really handy for crowd control! Geez my family are such a roudy bunch and so hilariously competitive too! I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time! I love to play music for each game and I picked out a playlist full of fun dance music to get everyone pumped. Not that anyone needed much pumping up! There was so much laughing, yelling and chaos and we had the best time. I think the musical candy cane game was my favourite. Everyone had to dance around a table with their hands in the air. Then as soon as the music stopped they had to grab a candy cane. The last person left with no candy cane was out! Rolling up the toilet paper with a glass of water sitting on the end had us all just about dying with laughter. Once all the toilet paper was rolled up you had to drink the water. One of my younger cousins was so desperate to win, that he tipped the water all over the front of his shirt as he tried to chug that water down fast. Now that’s commitment! It was such a great night that finished in the early hours of the morning and went by all too soon. Christmas Day Christmas Day we slept in and then opened our stockings. At around 2.30 in the afternoon, my husband went to work. Ah…the joys of working in hospitality! In the evening Sam and I went to my oldest son and his partner’s apartment. They live about 30 minutes away and now Sam has his license he drives us there. I’m too chicken to drive on the motorway and it feels so strange having my youngest son drive! I might have had my eyes closed the whole time even though he is a very safe driver. We don’t go to Luke and Bec’s apartment very often as they tend to come over to our place more. They are both into high-tech gadgets, Japanese anime and Lego. I love how they have decorated their apartment to reflect their tastes. I couldn’t believe how neat Luke’s desk was! I’m laughing now just thinking about the state of his room when he was living at home. Oh, how things change when they move out into their own place! We had dinner while we watched “It’s A Wonderful Life” the old black and white movie starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. I had purposely never watched it before because I’d heard that it was sad. But I absolutely loved it and even though it was sad (yes I cried), it had a happy ending(phew!). Now I’m thinking that I will have to add it to my list of favourite Christmas movies. After the movie, we admired the pretty view from Luke and Bec’s big apartment windows. Then we had pavlova for dessert before Sam and I went home around midnight. Can you believe that Christmas is over? After the big build-up to the day. As well as a sense of panic because the days had flown by and I wasn’t prepared. Everything came together beautifully and I am so grateful. It really was a wonderful Christmas! I hope you had a great one too. Linking up with Andrea.

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Merry Christmas!

10 Comments / Christmas

Hi friends! I wanted to pop in today and extend my warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas to all of you! But firstly, I wanted to say a huge thank you for stopping by to read my blog throughout the year. It means the world to me, especially knowing how busy life can get. I would also like to say thank you for your lovely comments. They brighten my days and make my heart sing! Being part of this friendly and inspiring blogging community has been amazing! I love the connections and new friends I am making as I get to know you better. What a blessing you all are in my life! I look forward to another year of blogging in 2024 and can hardly believe that the year has flown by so quickly. I will be taking a few days off to enjoy all the fun festivities and I will be back next Friday (that’s the plan but I’ll see how I go). For now, I hope you all enjoy time with your precious families. If you are like me and struggling a little with all the emotions because you’ve lost some of your favourite people. Or life is tough for whatever reason, I’m sending you a great big warm virtual hug. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas! Much love

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Friday Favourites

4 Comments / Friday Favorites

Hi friends! It’s great to be back today to share some Friday favourites. My top favourite for this week was officially starting my summer school holidays on Tuesday at 3.46 (our weird finishing time). Oh my goodness we worked so hard on Tuesday cleaning and packing everything away. My coworker and I were assigned the not-so-fun task of cleaning out the shed. We keep all of our playground equipment in this shed and it had gotten so messy! Then we also had to move a lot of furniture from one classroom to the other. Because during the holiday break our preschool is getting new floors and a fresh coat of white paint. I’m emphasising white because at the moment it’s a whole lot of very bright colours we don’t really like. It will be great to start the year with a fresh new space. Tuesday’s work lunch was McDonald’s and a glass of Moet. It was hands down my favourite work lunch for the year! It was the best feeling not having the alarm go off on Wednesday morning. But I couldn’t believe that I still woke up at 6 am. We woke up to a very wet and cool day which was crazy because it had been scorching hot all week. To celebrate the start of the school holidays Steve took me out to lunch at one of our favourite French restaurants in the city. I was glad that I wore my combat boots. When I bought them a couple of months ago I wasn’t sure if I liked them because they are on the chunky side. I nearly returned them but I’m so glad that I didn’t because they are extremely comfortable and will be perfect for winter. As well as on random cold and wet days in summer, the weather is crazy! Lunch was amazing! We shared the mussels as an entree and the sauce was so delicious. It was full of punchy garlic so I was totally safe from vampires. As well as anyone else who came near me that day. For mains, Steve ordered the fish and I had the steak. Everything tasted so good! It was lovely being inside the cozy restaurant and enjoying a delicious meal on such a rainy day. Thursday I went out to do some Christmas shopping with my sweet friend. Our family is doing Secret Santa this year and we are only buying for one family member. But I still wanted to buy some presents for my immediate family. I managed to find a couple of things (phew!). Then we stopped off for lunch at one of our favourite cafes and I had my usual chicken and leek pie and a lemon meringue pie for dessert. We stopped to listen to some carol singers and admire the big Christmas tree in the QVB. Thursday night I had a mini panic because even though I am not hosting Christmas. We are all taking something to share for Christmas Eve dinner at my cousin’s house. I also had to work out which games we were going to be playing on the night. Buy the things that I needed for that and organise my food shop for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Yikes! Luckily I got a food delivery time slot and all the stars aligned when my cousin called me out of the blue on Friday morning and asked me if I wanted to go to Costco and Ikea. My cousin shops at Costco like a champ and we were in and out in next to no time even though it was insanely crowded. We even managed to score a table and had an early lunch. Costco hotdogs with onion and all the sauces. So delicious! I needed red cups for our party games so I bought those at Costco and now we have enough red cups to last us forever. I also bought a shopping trolley at Ikea and it’s perfect! Much cheaper than buying a second car. Last year we went from two cars to one and this means that I do a lot of walking. Luckily we live within walking distance of my work as well as the shops. The only downside is that carrying things home can get very heavy. Although I mainly do my grocery shopping online I do tend to pop into the shops for this and that. In the late afternoon, I walked up to our local shopping centre with my favourite new trolley. After today, I feel much more prepared for Christmas. I bought the big 5kg ham that I am going to take to my cousins for Christmas Eve ( I couldn’t order it online). I’m excited to prepare my family’s favourite Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham. Along with that, I grabbed a whole lot of things that I needed and I wheeled everything home. Tonight’s agenda involves wrapping presents and finalising our party games. It’s definitely a last-minute rush, but as they say, better late than never! That brings me to the end of some favourites for this week. Can you believe that It’s Christmas in a few days? Now that I feel on top of things and not so overwhelmed by my lack of preparation, I am feeling very excited about Christmas. I am going to pop in tomorrow for a quick post so I hope you’ll stop by. Thanks for being here and I hope you have a wonderful Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham Recipe

2 Comments / Christmas, Recipes

Hello there! It’s time to share this amazing Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham recipe. This recipe is my whole family’s favourite and they look forward to it every Christmas. It would be perfect for any occasion, but this delicious recipe has become our festive tradition. It’s easy to make yet it tastes so delicious and I’m sure that once you have tasted Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham you will agree too. It has a sweet and savoury flavour with the added crunchy element from the macadamias. Irresistible! Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham is so incredibly simple to make and you only need a few ingredients. I’m all about straightforward recipes without too many ingredients. I inherited my cooking style from my lovely mum. She would add a bit of this and a bit of that and was always guided purely by taste. “It’s the secret ingredient!” she would say. Well, this recipe is certainly full of flavour without any overwhelmingly complicated ingredients or steps. I’m sure you will love it! Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham Recipe Ingredients 7 – 8 kg leg of ham 350g jar ginger, lemon and lime marmalade 2/3 cup brown sugar 2tbsp Dijon mustard 2tbsp sweet chilli sauce 1 cup macadamia nuts chopped Instructions Make sure the oven shelf is at its lowest position and preheat the oven to 150ºC. Line a large roasting pan with baking paper. Remove the rind from the ham but keep the fat. Use a sharp knife to score ham fat in a diamond pattern. Place ham on the roasting pan. Combine ingredients in a bowl. Pour half of the mixture over the ham and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully spoon over the remaining ingredients. Return to the oven and cook for a further 45 minutes or until golden. Slice and you can serve hot or cold. Enjoy! Other Christmas Recipes Fall Apart Roasted Pork Leg Egg Nog Christmas Drinks

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Hello Monday

13 Comments / Christmas

Hey there friends it’s great to be back after such a fun weekend and I’m so excited to be heading into a very short work week and the start of the summer holidays. Yay!! Today I am recapping a very fun and busy weekend. Thanks so much for being here! Friday Night Party Night! Friday night was the Bayside Council Community Christmas dinner hosted by the Mayor. I had been looking forward to this night for weeks ever since Steve and I received our invitations. It’s always great to have something fun to look forward to and this was definitely it for me. The venue for the party was decorated in all the traditional Christmas colours of red, gold and green. Walking in felt almost unreal and I was in awe of the table decorations. Everything was so beautiful! We sat with some of our friends and we had one of the best nights ever. The company, food and the whole atmosphere were amazing. Appetisers were dips, antipasto salad and bread rolls. For my entree, I had ravioli followed by a fall-off-the-bone deliciously tender lamb shank. Then chocolate mousse for dessert. Steve had prawn linguine for an entree, chicken for the main and passionfruit panacotta for dessert. I wore a one-shoulder red dress. Even though I don’t normally wear red I love this particular dress and I think that it was perfect for this festive occasion. Saturday Saturday morning I was back to reality with a big thud. Haha, after such a fun night with the drinks flowing aplenty. I woke up craving a simple breakfast of cereal, juice, a big mug of coffee and lots of water. It was such a hot day so I decided to wash the sofa covers because I knew that they would dry fast on the clothesline. I’m not quite sure where I got my motivation to do this as I was feeling tired after a big night out. Everything always looks worse before it looks better when it comes to cleaning and organising. Hmmmm An iced coffee break pepped me up and kept me going. Then in the evening after I vacuumed all the dust and crumbs as well as some of the feathers that had come out of the cushions everything looked and smelled so fresh! I sat down with Sam to watch a Japanese anime called ‘Attack On Titan’. This is my first time watching Japanese anime and I’m really enjoying it. What I love most of all is that Sam asked me to watch the series with him. I’m so happy my big 19-year-old boy still likes to spend time with his old mum. Sunday Sunday we spent the whole day at Oatley Baths with my husband’s swim club. It was a day of swimming races and after the competition, we enjoyed another Christmas party with more food! We got home around 5 pm and enjoyed a glass of wine while we watched Blue Bloods. We’re almost done with season 12 and I’m feeling sad that there are only two more seasons left. Now we’re on the lookout for another series Steve and I can watch together. We tried (yet again) to watch Game of Thrones but I don’t think Steve was keen after the first episode. To be honest I’m not so keen either although I am tempted to keep going as everyone I know who watched it, loved it. Today was our staff development day at work and it meant enduring a super long meeting. But tomorrow is our cleaning day and honestly, I’m looking forward to it. Not just because it’s the end but because it’s also a special treat day! We order lunch which is a big deal for all of us. On top of that one thoughtful parent gifted us a bottle of Moet to share. So tomorrow’s menu is McDonald’s and Moet for me – always keeping it classy around here! Haha. I’ll be back here on Wednesday and I’m sharing my Lime and Macadamia Glazed Ham recipe. Trust me you don’t want to miss this as it’s absolutely delicious! Happy Monday friends! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Festive Favourites

10 Comments / Christmas

Hey there friends it’s time to share some festive favourites today. Staff Christmas Lunch This past week has been a real whirlwind! We kicked things off with our staff Christmas lunch last weekend at a restaurant called Nola’s in Barangaroo. This was my first time going to this part of the city, here’s a pic of The Crown Casino in Barangaroo which is right near the restaurant where we ate. Isn’t it tall and shiny? I don’t know why but I didn’t think I was going to love the food as much as I did. Sometimes restaurants that are located near the water are very expensive as well as fancy. But they don’t always serve the most dazzling food. The restaurant we went to last year for our staff Christmas lunch was very beautiful but the food was just ok. I think that I still haven’t gotten over the fact that I ordered the steak which cost probably as much as a whole cow. Then I had to choose between chips and salad as a side. I wasn’t allowed to have both!! Nola’s But Nola’s was a completely different story. Nola’s is a Loisiana-inspired smokehouse and their dishes contain flavours from Cajun and Creole cuisines and Southern BBQ. I’m not at all familiar with these cuisines but I loved every single dish and there was so much food. Yum! I want to go back. Here are pics of some of the delicious dishes. See what I mean by so much food! These are only some of the dishes as I didn’t get a pic of all of them. I was too busy eating! We finished off with some sensational brownies. I was glad that the dessert was small because I’m pretty sure that none of us would have been able to eat more than that. After lunch, some of us kicked on at a pop-up bar. Aperol spritz-incredibly refreshing especially on a hot day and after eating such a hearty meal! Sunday Night Burgers Luke came over on Sunday night and we went to eat burgers at a nearby food truck called Chebbo’s. Sam had been wanting us to try out these burgers for ages. He kept telling us that they were the best he had ever tasted. Even better than the turkey burgers I make I asked him. Haha! He kindly said no but after tasting these burgers I’m not so sure as they were pretty amazing! After burgers, we came home and we watched The Vicar Of Dibley Christmas Special. So funny! I say this every year and I’ll say it again…you have to watch it!! Preschool Concerts and Celebrations This week we had two Christmas concerts and parties at preschool throughout the week. Everyone is feeling hyped up and giddy because of all the fun festivities. That’s exactly why this is my favourite time of the year! Christmas Presents Here are some of the presents I received from our little students. The families are so kind and generous! Inside this cute apple is a candle that smells like apple and cinnamon. I love it! At the preschool Christmas parties, the parents kindly brought plates of food to share. I took a photo of one of the Christmas cupcakes because it was so pretty and delicious too! Christmas Doormat My last festive favourite for today is this Christmas doormat. Hehe, I wrote the sign on the doormat quite a few years ago so it’s a bit worn out now. Now that this week is over the children have finished preschool for the year, leaving us with just two more days at preschool for 2023. On Monday we have a staff development day and Tuesday will be dedicated to cleaning and packing up for the year. Two days! Only two more days left and I’m so excited! Thank you so much for being here today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Happy Friday everyone! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Comforts In Life- My Top Eight

4 Comments / Health and Well Being

Hey, there friends welcome to the last edition of ‘Let’s Look’ for 2023! Today we are sharing our top comforts in life. When I think of comforts I think of cozy things that will instantly lift my mood and make an ordinary day feel so much better. Comforts inject that much-needed element of happiness into everyday life. Comforts are very personal, based on what each of us loves. Thanks so much for being here! I’ve got eight things to share that bring that burst of joy and comfort to my everyday routine. This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through these links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! Top Comforts In Life Rest Silvercool Sheets Have you heard of the amazing Silvercool Sheets from Rest Duvet? They are made using Silvercool yarn and they are so soft and cool. I honestly could not live without them. It’s summer over here and the nights have been so muggy and incredibly hot and uncomfortable. These sheets have helped to keep me cool all night long. They have also been a lifesaver now that I am going through the old menopause routine. One minute I’m okay then the next I’m about to self-combust. I find that the Rest Duvet Silvercool sheets help to keep my body temp regulated. Amen!! Comfort Food I love comfort food. Give me all the carbs any day! During the week I try and make sure that I eat lots of veggies and some fresh fruit. But I always look forward to Friday nights because that’s when I like to treat myself to some incredibly satisfying comfort food and treats! Showers After working at preschool all day long I feel kind of gross by the time I get home. So I just love stepping into the shower because it relaxes me and having a shower makes me feel as if I’m washing the stresses of the day away. Bliss! Ugg Slippers I love these super comfortable and cozy Ugg slippers. I wear them during winter and they keep my feet so warm. They have a non-slip rubber sole and they are the ideal house shoes! My Favourite Work Mug This is my favourite work mug for a couple of reasons. Firstly it was a thoughtful gift from some of my favourite people and secondly, every time I drink out of it it just makes me happy because I think of them! Family and Friends I have an amazing family and we are very close. I never take this for granted because I know that this is not always the case in many families. We catch up every month and we always have such a fantastic time! I also have wonderful friends and this year I have been lucky enough to work with two of them! My circle of friends isn’t huge but I can wholeheartedly say that they are my people and I know I can rely on them and they can rely on me. When life has thrown ‘stuff’ at us we have stuck together and this has cemented our friendship. My Home I am such a homebody! I love to go out and I enjoy socialising but I think I’m more of an introvert. This means that I am completely happy to spend my days at home whenever I can. Warmth I find so much comfort in feeling warm. There’s nothing better than sitting in the sunshine and soaking up the happy rays. Or being warm and cozy under a soft blanket in the cooler months. There we have it friends! Eight things that give me comfort and keep me going through the everyday grind. What are your top comforts? Linking up with Erika and Shay

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Iconic TV Series:My All-Time Favourites

12 Comments / My Favourite Movies and TV shows

Hello everyone! As we wrap up the year, it’s time for the final Not Just A Mom link-up for 2023. Today’s theme revolves around sharing our favourite books or TV series. I’m going to concentrate on my favourite TV series because truth be told, I’m not much of a bookworm these days. Gasp!! I never thought that I would say that!! I used to read every spare minute I had. Anyway, let’s explore some of my favourite and iconic TV series that have spanned the last few decades. These shows have been incredibly entertaining and have also made a lasting impression on TV history. Iconic TV Series Let’s start at the very beginning for me- The good old 70s when most of you were probably not even born! The Brady Bunch (1969-1974) Here’s the story – In Sydney we had four TV channels during the 70s and a lot of popular TV series took forever to make it to our screens. Luckily for me, The Brady Bunch was one of the shows. I grew up watching this iconic TV series and it has a special place in my heart. A few years ago I bought the DVDs and I still enjoy watching them to this day! Charlie’s Angels (1976-1981) I loved watching the lip-glossed angels with their platform shoes and flick-style 70s hair fight crime….and win! The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978) This show about a former astronaut who becomes a secret agent with bionic implants was also one of my favourites. I was always in awe watching the superhuman strength Steve Austin possessed. Haha, and I still remember the start of the show which featured the backstory and the line ” Gentlemen we can rebuild him”. Classic!! The Bionic Woman (1976-1978) When a female version of the six-million-dollar man hit our screens I just about lost my mind! I loved loved loved this show. As kids, my friends and I would get together at the park and take turns pretending to be the bionic woman. We would run down hills in the classic slow motion that was featured on the show. Complete with sound effects too…. “dadadadadadadada”. If you have no clue what I’m talking about here’s a YouTube clip. Be warned you may be hooked after watching it! The Love Boat (1977-1987) My mum and I would watch this show all about love on the high seas. So corny…so good! Dallas (1978-1991) I wasn’t allowed to go to sleepovers when I was a kid but I was allowed to stay up late and watch Dallas. Haha! My Favourite Iconic TV Series From The 80s Family Ties (1983-1989) This wholesome sitcom based on the lovable Keaton family was one of my favourite TV series when I was a teen. There is so much to love about this very funny show. Even the closing credits are iconic with the unforgettable ‘Sit Ubu sit, good dog’ sign-off. Knight Rider (1982-1986) A crime-fighting duo where one-half of the duo was a talking car. Brilliant! Dynasty (1981-1989) I loved watching the wealthy Carrington family and their endless drama not to mention their amazing 80s fashions and hairstyles. MacGyver (1985-1992) This fun show was all about a very resourceful secret agent who could turn things like a paper clip and a shoelace into a bomb. Then explode his way out of any life-threatening situation. Thirtysomething (1987-1991) Do you remember this short-lived TV series about a group of friends in their thirties? It was one of my favourite TV series and I loved tuning in to watch all about their everyday lives, relationships and the challenges of balancing family and careers. My Favourite Iconic Series From The 90s The 90s also had some very iconic TV series and here are some of my all-time favourites. Seinfeld (1989-1998) I think this comedy series about Jerry Seinfeld and his quirky group of friends is hilarious. I still watch an episode almost every night. The show is full of classic quotes that I often find myself using in everyday life. It’s been a tough few weeks at work trying to get all the things done before the end of the school year….” serenity now!!!” ER (1994-2009) Ha! I don’t enjoy medical shows now but back in the 90s, I loved all the medical drama. Now if I watch a TV series about anything medical related I start to self-diagnose. Yikes! Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000) I never watched this teen drama from the very beginning. But when I started watching from about season 3 I was gripped for quite a while. However, my obsession shifted when ‘Melrose Place’, a spinoff of Beverly Hills 90210 took the spotlight Melrose Place (1992-1999) This drama about a young group of stunning-looking young adults had me completely hooked. I remember one night in the good old 90s when we were living in a small apartment. It was Melrose Place night and a few hours before it was due to start, the power went out! I called the electricity company practically begging them to hurry up and fix the issue because I couldn’t miss an episode. Back then there were no streaming services or catch-up channels. Once you missed it, you missed it! Moving on now from the year 2000 to the present with some more of my favourite iconic TV series 2000 To Present Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) This wonderful feel-good TV series full of the funniest fast-talking dialogue is one of my favourite TV series from the early 2000s. All the characters (even the grumpy ones) were totally likeable. Gilmore Girls is a show that I can watch on repeat and never get tired of. 24 (2001-2010) This TV series which happened in ‘real’ time always left me hanging for more because every episode ended with a total cliffhanger. Keifer Sutherland who played Jack Bauer looked pretty amazing too! Lost (2004-2010) Oh, my goodness the show almost had my head spinning trying to piece together all the clues as to what happened

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A Few Festive Favourites

4 Comments / Friday Favorites

Hello there friends, I hope you all had an amazing week and now it’s time for a few quick festive favourites. We met our friends at the local RSL club for our monthly dinner. This time I was a little more adventurous with my food choices and picked something different from the menu. Normally I order the steamed barramundi. But this time I went for chicken with cashews and fried rice. It was so delicious that I devoured this plate in no time at all! Now, I’ll probably be ordering this dish every time we get together for the next year! That night at dinner one of our friends was telling us about a spectacularly lit house that was nearby. So on the way home, we all stopped to have a look and admire. I’m always in awe of the effort that it must take to put this beautiful festive display together. I would truly love to know how they don’t get all the lights tangled up! We have a few solar lights for the front of our house and I always get them tangled even when I store them carefully. Argh!! I must have taken a thousand photos that night, here are a few more. Our preschool families are so generous. Here are some of the delicious presents we have been given this week. It’s been so hot! Today we reached 30ºC and tomorrow it will be 40ºC! I always wish that Christmas would happen for us in the winter. That’s why we celebrated Christmas in July this year but it’s not quite the same. As much as I love summer, celebrating Christmas in the heat isn’t my favourite. The other night after watching yet another Hallmark movie where everything was cold and snowy. I decided that I wanted the same cozy feeling so I put a YouTube video of a fireplace with Christmas music. I loved the atmosphere but after looking at the fire for about five minutes, I felt even hotter! My lovely friend organised for us to go to Ikea on Thursday night for a Swedish festive feast! It was so much fun and we both had the best time. We hope Ikea hold this event again next year because if they do we’re both in! We had three courses and it was all so delicious! As far as I’m concerned there is no such thing as too much gravy! The real Swedish Santa dressed in a blue suit and yellow trim was there too! After our Swedish feast, we walked around Ikea and it was so quiet! I have never been there when there is hardly anyone around. Normally I go on the weekend when it’s so busy. I think it’s almost impossible to walk out of Ikea without buying something. But this time I didn’t get carried away and just stocked up on white candles, lint remover, serviettes and zip-lock bags. I also found some cute red pots for my poinsettias that I bought the other day. I’m so happy with how the red pots look on the entrance table. Once Christmas is over I will replant them again into proper pots with drainage holes. Then wouldn’t it be a miracle if they lived until next Christmas! I’m going to try hard to look after them. It will be a challenge for me but I’m up for it! Oh my goodness I’m so excited that it’s the weekend! I’m going to jump off the computer, have a cool shower and watch a Christmas movie while I eat dinner. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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December Currently

8 Comments / Family Life

Hi there friends it’s time for the December edition of Currently with Jennifer. Today we are looking at what we are currently – loving, gifting, wrapping, hoping and attending this month. Thanks so much for stopping by! LOVING This is my favourite time of the year and I love everything about it so I think it’s probably easier if I write a list of everything I am currently loving! The festive cheer Christmas music everywhere The excitement and anticipation as we get closer to Christmas Planning outfits for upcoming Christmas parties Beautiful decorations in the shops Summer clothes because it’s summer over here Watching Hallmark Christmas movies Seeing homes with twinkly lights and decorations while driving at night Christmas markets Practicing for our preschool Christmas concerts which are on next week (Yikes!) Counting down until the summer school holidays – 9 days to go! Mangos and cherries. It’s time for summer fruits and I’m here for it!! Planning the games we are going to play with my family on Christmas Eve Feeling motivated to decorate after putting up the Christmas tree last Sunday Celebrating the season with friends and family GIFTING I visited my aunt and uncle on the weekend and I gifted them a very cute Christmas snow dome. Sometimes it’s hard to know what gifts to buy. But you can’t go wrong with a pretty Christmas ornament like this one. I have also been on the lookout for a Secret Santa for my lovely work friend. Luckily I found something at the Danish Christmas markets and I hope she loves it as much as I do. WRAPPING Except for my aunt and uncle’s gift, I haven’t wrapped a single present yet! This year our whole family decided that we would do a Secret Santa gift exchange and it has made all of our lives easier. My cousin organised this by using an online Secret Santa generator where we all entered our names. The generator then randomly assigned each of us a Secret Santa recipient.Easy peasy! We agreed on a budget and the generator even allowed us to create our wish list. This way whoever got our names knows exactly what to buy. The best part is that the Secret Santa generator is linked directly to Amazon, making shopping so convenient! I bought my Secret Santa gift for my cousin the minute I got an email saying that he had created his wish list. I’ll be wrapping up his present very soon. Although we are using a Secret Santa generator for our extended family. I will also be buying some presents for my immediate family. I just need to get to the shops ASAP!! HOPING I am hoping to stay focused on the reason for the season. I know that I get carried away with all the festive fun such as parties, gift-giving, delicious food and family celebrations. But I want to stay grounded in the true meaning behind the festivities – the birth of our Saviour, Jesus. ATTENDING I have two Christmas events that I am very excited to be attending in the next couple of weeks. Firstly, this Saturday our preschool staff is having Christmas lunch at Nola’s, a restaurant in Barangaroo. I am looking forward to spending the day with some work besties! Then the following Friday, Steve and I received an invitation to the Mayor’s Christmas party which was a lovely surprise! I am so excited to attend this function as I get to dress up in a festive cocktail dress and enjoy a fun night out. I can’t wait!! Thanks for stopping by to read my blog and I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday! I look forward to being back on Friday to share some favourites. See ya!

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