Ruth(playworkeatrepeat), Author at PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Friday Favourites: 17th November 2023

Hey there friends! Welcome to Friday favourites, it’s time to share some highlights and best moments from the week. It’s Jacaranda season in Sydney! From late spring to early summer we have the most beautiful blooming Jacaranda trees everywhere. I needed to go to the fruit shop last Saturday and instead of driving, I decided to walk because the weather was so amazing. It was a perfect spring morning and I loved soaking up the sun while spotting the gorgeous Jacaranda trees. Look I found a jar of ginger, lemon and lime marmalade at the fruit shop! I was so excited because I thought I would have to buy it online as I hadn’t been able to find it in the supermarket where I shop. I need this key ingredient for my lime and macadamia glazed ham recipe that I’m excited to make for Christmas. Winning! I bought some toys for Mochi to chew on as she’s teething and had a great time chewing through one of Sam’s charging cords! Mochi loves this Wiggle Worm Catnip Toy and Fresh Breath Mint Stick. The wiggle worm and mint stick have stopped her from chewing through cords and kept her entertained for ages. She chomps on them, flings them around and then pounces on them. So if you have a kitten who is teething then these inexpensive toys are a must-have. They will save your cords and keep your kitty happy. Our older cat Sushi likes them too so it’s a good thing that she and Mochi are now buddies and can share. Speaking of buddies…here they are together on the sofa. I didn’t think I’d see the day when they would be comfortable enough to lay around next to each other. Yay! I bought our first mango of the season and my husband asked if we had won the lottery. Ha! Sometimes the simplest foods are just the best. Banana slices on sourdough slathered with peanut butter and drizzled with honey totally hit the spot! We all love this crunchy peanut butter! On Monday we shared our favourite comfort foods on the “Not Just a Mom” link-up and I couldn’t stop craving a big dish of cottage pie. So I made one on Tuesday. I included the usual frozen corn, peas and carrots but this time I got a bit more creative and I threw in a can of chickpeas and a handful of red lentils to thicken up the sauce. It was very hearty and it tasted great. That’s the beauty of this dish-it’s so versatile that you can add almost anything! On Thursday afternoon I did something totally out of the ordinary and I went to the city after work to catch up with my lovely friend. Normally I keep these adventures for the weekend but we decided to be spontaneous and it felt so good! I left work at 3.45 and was in the city by around 4.30. We were both starving so we had an early dinner at the Westfield food court. We had burrito bowls and a small side of chips. The burrito bowls from Guzman and Gomez looked a bit bland but tasted great. It was funny because we didn’t have a plan or reason for going into the city. Following dinner, we had a good long chat and then went for a wander around the shops. We went to David Jones and on the seventh floor, there was some kind of private event going on in the Christian Louboutin section. With a DJ playing some disco music, the place was buzzing with a whole lot of people dressed up all fancy trying on Louboutin shoes and waiters were serving drinks. I said to my friend ‘Let’s just wander around and try and blend in, fingers crossed we won’t get thrown out.’ Well, we didn’t get thrown out but we didn’t get offered any drinks either (insert sad face). Afterwards, we went to the Christmas section which was way more budget-friendly than the high-end Louboutin area and had fun exploring all the pretty and festive decorations. So many quirky food-related decorations this year. I loved them! As well as some Christmas tree decorating inspiration. That wraps up a few of this week’s favourites! I hope you guys had a great week and are ready for some downtime this weekend. I know that I sure am! Thanks so much for stopping by today. Happy Friday and happy weekend, I look forward to being back here on Monday! *This post may contain 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!

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Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas

6 Comments / Christmas

Hey there festive friends! It’s the most wonderful time of the year again and Christmas is just around the corner! So that means it’s time to get decorating! Whether you are ahead of the game and already have your tree up or, like me, prefer to wait until the first week of December. It’s finally time to sprinkle some Christmas cheer and bring those decorations out. Let’s dive into the world of Christmas tree decorating, explore some amazing styles and find some inspiration to make our trees sparkle! Let’s go! Classic Elegance Timeless classic Christmas decor is all about rich reds and deep greens with shimmering gold or silver accents. Classic never goes out of style and is a perfect choice for a traditional holiday feel. Winter Wonderland If you want to turn your living space into a magical winter wonderland. Then go for a cool colour palette of whites, icy blues and silver. Decorate your Christmas tree with big white frosted ornaments and silver and blue ribbons. Boho Bliss Let your Christmas tree reflect your carefree spirit of boho chic and decorate your tree your way! Mix and match vibrant non-traditional colours and decorate with unique and quirky ornaments. This style of Christmas tree decorating allows you to express your personality big time! Minimalist Rustic Charm Create warmth and coziness using a minimalist rustic style. Use natural elements such as burlap, wood and pinecones. Earthy tones and soft lights bring a calm cabin feel. For a fun nostalgic touch, you can add some plaid ribbon. This is a simple, minimal, cozy and clutter-free Christmas tree look. Candyland Delight Christmas is all about enjoying sweet seasonal treats such as gingerbread and candy canes. The Candyland delight theme is a mix of classic elegance with sugary sweetness. To achieve this fun look for your Christmas tree, decorate with traditional reds, rich greens and gold. Then add some whimsical candies and playful decorations to turn your tree into a scrumptious feast for the eyes. DIY Extravaganza If you are a sentimental soul with a creative touch then now is your time to sparkle! Craft personalised ornaments, and string popcorn garlands. Add one-of-a-kind touches to your tree that reflect your personality and tell your story. Decorate with hand-painted ornaments, handmade beaded treasures, family photos in festive frames, and those adorable decorations your kids made in primary school. The DIY Christmas tree is a canvas for your precious memories. When it comes to Christmas tree decorating, there are no strict rules. Only endless possibilities waiting to be explored! Each style brings its own magic turning your tree into a fun holiday masterpiece. Happy Christmas tree decorating!

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Comfort Food Delights To Warm Your Soul

14 Comments / Recipes

Hey, there everyone it’s great to be back for the November edition of “Not Just A Mom”. Hosted by Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne, Lauren and Sarah. Today, we’re diving right into one of my all-time favourite subjects: FOOD! Not just any food, no sir, today it’s all about cozy and nostalgic comfort food! It’s the best kind, isn’t it? Comfort Food Why I Love Comfort Food First things first, why do I absolutely adore comfort food so much? Well for me it’s all about the cozy buzz I get when I tuck into a plate of my favourite home-cooked carb-laden deliciousness. Comfort food also evokes nostalgia remembering all the wonderful times in my mum’s kitchen (she was an amazing cook!) or eating at family gatherings. Comfort food is almost like culinary therapy because it can turn a mediocre or bad day into a great one. You don’t need gourmet skills to create amazingly satisfying dishes because comfort food is all about keeping things simple. In a nutshell, comfort food is like eating a plate of happiness. Here Is a List of My Favourite Comfort Food Spaghetti Bolognese This is my favourite food and it’s number one on my list of favourite comfort foods. I love bolognese made from beef mince but lately, I have also been making it with turkey mince and it’s a real winner! Pumpkin Soup With its warm, velvety texture and the rich earthy flavour of pumpkin. A bowl of pumpkin soup topped with a rich dollop of sour cream is simply divine. It’s perfect on a chilly day and it’s the only soup that my family enjoy. They aren’t big soup eaters at all. But there are no complaints when I serve them pumpkin soup, provided of course that there are other courses to follow. Soup is not a satisfying meal for these big guys I live with! Quiche Anything with pastry is considered comfort food in my book! The warm, creamy filling encased in a buttery crust is so satisfying. Quiche is so versatile and you can add various ingredients like vegetables, meat, herbs and of course the star ingredient – cheese! Stews A hearty and simmering pot of stew is a classic example of comfort food. The slow cooking process makes everything taste amazing. There’s nothing better than a pot bubbling away with tender meat, and vegetables, in a rich flavourful broth. Chicken Pie I love chicken and leek pies, chicken and mushroom pies or the divine combination of chicken, leek and mushroom pies! A golden crust filled with delicious thick creamy chicken pie filling is just the best! Lasagna With layers of pasta, rich meat sauce and gooey melted cheese. Lasagna is a total comfort food! Fluffy Mashed Potatoes My family are huge rice eaters but I prefer creamy, buttery clouds of mashed potato. Lamb Shanks In Red Wine Sauce I think that there is nothing better than lamb shanks in red wine sauce on a cold night. The slow-cooked lamb becomes super tender, soaking up all the goodness from the rich red wine sauce. It’s delicious, hearty and makes you feel all good inside. Serve it with creamy mashed potatoes and you will be in comfort heaven! Risotto Risotto with its rich, creamy texture is a soothing and satisfying and filling dish. The best part? You can make it in so many tasty ways! If you’re into veggies, try mushroom or pumpkin risotto. If you fancy seafood or chicken, these are delicious options too! Italian Meatballs Meatballs are total comfort food when made in a rich tomato-based sauce. They are savoury and hearty and you can enjoy them with spaghetti, mashed potato or rice. Meatballs in a bread roll with a good sprinkle of cheese is just perfection! Pancakes Warm fluffy pancakes are a classic and comforting breakfast or brunch option. Serve them with syrup, fruit, ice cream or whipped cream and you have nostalgia on a plate. Pancakes are simple to make and they have that special homey appeal. I can’t help feeling like a kid when I have a stack of pancakes in front of me! Please pass the maple syrup!! Cookies Whether it’s chocolate chip, peanut butter and M&M cookies, jam drops or buttery shortbread. Cookies are the classic treat that makes you feel good. Biting into a warm fresh out-of-the-oven cookie with a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate is the ultimate comfort. Cottage Pie Cottage pie is made with mince and vegetables all tucked under a layer of fluffy creamy mashed potato with cheese sprinkled over the top. When I put it in the oven to bake my whole kitchen fills with an irresistable aroma promising a hearty and satisfying meal. Pasta With Butter And Parmesan Cheese Sometimes I crave this very simple dish of pasta, butter and parmesan cheese because it’s so easy to make and very satisfying. It reminds me of when I was a kid because my mum would make it for me. No wonder I love it so much! I know that comfort food is associated with cold weather but I can’t resist it all year round! If you ever feel guilty about tucking into comfort food during the summertime. Then do what I do, throw in a side salad and you’ll have guilt-free comfort!!

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Favourite Things From The Week

7 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hi friends, it’s that time of the week again – Friday favourites! I hope you have had an amazing week and are all ready.. set..go for a wonderful weekend! Today I’m sharing my top favourite things from the past week. So let’s get going and dive into some Friday fun! On Monday night we got together with our friends for dinner at our local RSL club. We met these friends when my husband was involved in a campaign to have our local pool rebuilt many years ago. The council wanted to sell the land where the old run-down pool was. Then turn the site into a block of apartments. After years and years of dedicated effort, persistence and endless meetings the council eventually gave in to community pressure and agreed to rebuild a brand-new pool. Fast forward to today and we are still friends with this lovely group of pool supporters. We meet once a month for dinner and I am a firm believer that if you want to keep in contact with friends or loved ones. Then organising a once-a-month date and sticking to it is a must! Otherwise, life gets in the way and catch-ups never seem to happen. For dinner, I ordered my usual favourite steamed barramundi with broccoli and rice. One of my friends from the group also orders this same meal every month. We always say we are going to order something different and then we don’t. It’s just too good! This jacket from Zara is a big favourite and so are my silver hoop earrings that match the zipper, ha! It’s been a strange spring so far with the temps being all over the place. So this is the perfect jacket for those nights when it’s a bit on the cool side. I wore it to dinner on Monday night. We still had leftover pork and southwest salad from our cousin Connect dinner on Sunday night. So I used these mission wraps and made lunch on Tuesday for Sam and I. That’s the beauty of having leftovers for days…you can turn them into amazing lunches! Another big favourite was walking to work in the sunshine instead of the gloomy cloudy days we’ve been having lately. This battery-powered automatic spray with essential oils was a favourite for about five minutes. I love my home to smell amazing and so I am always looking for ways to do so. I burn candles, make stovetop potpourri from time to time and like to use room sprays. When I saw this automatic room spray on sale at half-price while I was doing my online grocery order, I snapped it up. I put the contraption in my living room and expected to be dazzled by the gorgeous scent that would spray out automatically every half hour or so. Well, the darn thing scared me to death over and over!! It has the worst sound you can imagine. It’s not subtle at all, instead, it cranks up this deep creaking sound and then it makes a loud SWOOSH noise and it’s not a dainty swoosh, it’s an almighty SWOOSH! It scared the cats, me and the rest of the family. So I put it in the bathroom thinking that we wouldn’t be able to hear it anymore. But now when it goes off it still scares me because I think someone is trying to break in through the bathroom window. I’m not winning with this one and I think that I’ll either be dead soon because my heart has stopped or I’ll eventually get used to it. Stay tuned. I treated myself to my favourite Christmas nougat. This is the nougat that I love to find in my Christmas stocking. But before Christmas, I need to make sure that I have sampled a bar every week just to make sure that I still love it when I open my stocking on Christmas Day hehe. I bought this Huskee coffee cup from Amazon a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to share it with you guys. It’s my favourite reusable coffee cup ever. Last year I got a cute Frank Green cup in pink which was very pretty. But after a while, I discovered that it was not practical. It was difficult to keep clean as you had to pull the inside of the lid apart to give it a proper wash. Then do you think that I could ever manage to put it back together again easily…nope! The Huskee coffee cup is the best! The reason is – it’s just simple! With a snug lid that is so easy to wash, it has great insulation that maintains the temperature of your coffee and it’s comfortable to hold. These cups are made from repurposed coffee husks, reusable and dishwasher safe. I also love its sleek minimal design and with Christmas just around the corner, it’s the ideal gift for any coffee-loving friends! I made it to date night! Despite feeling sick with sore glands and congestion around my eyes and forehead on Wednesday. I managed to plough on and get through a busy day at work. Then in the evening, we enjoyed a lovely dinner out even though I could feel that I was going downhill fast. I took Thursday and today off from work because I ended up getting a throat infection as well as conjunctivitis in my right eye. Now I’m on antibiotics and eye drops. I’m not surprised that I ended up sick as all sorts of bugs have been going around at preschool. The joys of educator life! I installed some updates on my computer (took hours!) and now I have an amazing new moving screen saver. It’s so cool! I feel congested and my eye keeps weeping which is super annoying. But I don’t feel sick enough to stay in bed all day. So it’s been really lovely to have had a couple of days off from work. It’s been great to be

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The Ultimate Guide To Stocking Stuffers

5 Comments / Amazon Finds

Hi there friends. Wow, can you believe that we are talking about Christmas? The year seems to have flown past so fast and now it’s the November edition of Let’s Look hosted by Erika and Shay. The topic for this month is Our Stocking Stuffers. I’m excited to share some ideas for stocking stuffers that have been a big hit with my favourite people over the years. *Please be aware that this post contains affiliate links, which means that I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links at no cost to you. Thank you for your support! Ideas For Stocking Stuffers Retro Toys My kids are now grown-up men. But they sure do still get a kick out of finding a small token from their childhood. In the past, I have included things like this Voice-changer toy. Touchable mini bubbles Squishy stress balls Mario Bros Candy Lego Super Mario Figures I know it sounds a bit odd to include toys in your grown-up kids’ stockings. But they add the special magic touch that transports them (and me) back to the magical moments of childhood Christmases. Plus I also love hearing them say ” Oh wow! I remember this when I was a kid!”. Favourite Sweet Treats No stocking is complete without adding a special sweet treat. My husband loves liquorice so I always add a bag of Darrel Lea liquorice to his stocking. Sam loves Flakes and Luke enjoys Warheads. My favourite Christmas sweet is Nougat (hint hint) Pocket Sized Gadgets A super cool stocking stuffer idea is to include a pocket-sized gadget of some kind. A couple of years ago I got my husband and sons the Victorinox Swiss Army Swiss Card and they just about lost their minds with excitement. I haven’t found a gadget to top this one yet! Unique Key Chains Key chains featuring your loved one’s favourite movie or TV character make for fantastic stocking stuffer ideas. For us it’s a no-brainer – we all love Star Wars, which means that at some point everyone has discovered a Star Wars keychain in their Christmas stocking. Brain Teasers Brain teasers are fun stocking stuffers that will provide hours of entertainment! Gifts Cards A small gift card to a favourite coffee shop, juice bar, bookshop or online retailer makes for wonderful stocking stuffers. They are always very much appreciated! Festive Ornament Infuse some extra holiday cheer into your loved ones Christmas tree with a one-of-a-kind ornament. It could be a personalised decoration with their name or something that captures a special memory. I once put a photo ornament ball in my mum’s stocking with pictures of her grandkids when they were little and she absolutely loved it. Fashion and Beauty Products Beauty products such as lip balm, hand cream or nail polish are great stocking stuffers that will be useful all year round. Another amazing stocking stuffer that is a guaranteed winner is one of my favourite products ever – the Hollywood Fashion Secrets fashion tape. I seriously tell everyone about it and I could never live without it! I don’t have a lot going on in my chest area so that means that when I bend over my top will gape and it is no bueno! Hollywood Fashion Secrets fashion tape always comes to the rescue! It’s my go-to solution for preventing any embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions. Socks Cozy, colourful or novelty socks make great stocking stuffers and there are so many fun designs to choose from. Or you could just go for the ordinary practical socks that can be worn at any time. My family prefer low ankle socks so I usually include a packet of those in their Christmas stockings. These are the ones I bought last year. These are a few of my all-time favourite stocking stuffers that I love to surprise my family with. Stocking stuffers – they’re like small packages of happiness. Each year I try to pack my family’s stockings with thoughtful little treasures and surprises that I know they’ll appreciate and include ones that are bound to spark a good laugh!

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An Amazing Weekend

6 Comments / Family Life

Hi friends I hope you all had an amazing weekend! It sure went fast, didn’t it? I’m excited to be back today joining Holly and Sarah to share a bit about my weekend. My Website Is Finally Working Properly! Oh my goodness I’m so relieved that my website is up and running smoothly again. I’ve had all sorts of trouble with it for the past week and a half. The images on the homepage were all distorted and updating plugins didn’t fix the issue. Saturday morning I checked my site. I saw that there on the home page was a spin-the-wheel competition to win an iPhone. Instantly I knew that my website had been hacked because there was no way that I was giving away any iPhones! Sometimes, I try and see if I can sort out any technical issues myself but hacking is a whole different ball game! Even though I mainly set my website up by myself with the help of endless hours of YouTube videos. I’ve lost my confidence when it comes to all the tech stuff. So I got in contact with my childhood friend who co-owns a web design company with her husband and she fixed my site in a snap. Phew! A Rainy Saturday Despite the miserably, cloudy day, Steve and I caught up with some friends at the Ramsgate Farmers Market. We had a look around the market for a bit before we grabbed coffee and a gozleme to share. We sat under a tree and caught up on all their exciting holiday stories. My friend and her husband recently got back from their five-week holiday in Greece. It feels as if almost everyone we know has been overseas in the last couple of months! In the evening I got busy prepping for our cousin connect gathering on Sunday. This time around we changed it from Saturday to Sunday. I did as much as I could to get ahead as I knew that I wouldn’t have much time on Sunday because everyone was coming over for lunch instead of the usual dinner. Sunday Our Cousin Connect was such a busy and fun time that I forgot to take many pics. Before lunch, we started with a cob loaf dip as an appetiser. I haven’t made this in ages but it was a big hit and everybody enjoyed dipping their crusty bread into this cheesy deliciousness. I made a pasta salad (forgot to take a pic) and a southwest salad. We also had fall-apart roasted pork leg and chicken skewers. For dessert, I made a chocolate fudge brownie in a round tin because I didn’t have a square one. We enjoyed this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Perfect comfort food for a cold rainy weekend. I wonder where spring has gone?? After our long lunch, we played some Jackbox games which had us in stitches. They are so fun to play! It was wonderful to be together chatting, laughing and catching up. We even got onto planning Christmas. It will be here before we know it! This year my cousin and her family will be hosting. To make it easier for everyone, we’ve decided to share the load. My aunt is in charge of the turkey and I’ve volunteered to take care of the ham. I’m planning to glaze it with the most amazing macadamia, lime and ginger sauce. The rest of the cousins will contribute with cheese platters, salads and desserts. Gosh, it’s almost hard to believe that we are organising Christmas already! Cat Update! Hooray! I didn’t think I would see the day when I felt comfortable enough to have both cats roaming the house freely. Mochi the kitten and Sushi are now friends…well sort of. Maybe calling them friends is a bit of a stretch. But they do tolerate each other. They usually start their interaction by rubbing noses and then slapping each other a couple of times before walking off. Haha, it’s funny to watch! I am so happy that Mochi doesn’t hiss at poor old Sushi anymore. But she needs to learn to let her use her kitty litter in peace. Instead of using this most inappropriate time to play with her tail. She’s such a kid!! And that’s a wrap! It was a pretty amazing weekend that flew by all too fast. I hope yours was a good one too. Have a wonderful Monday and I look forward to being back here on Wednesday. See ya!

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Halloween Favourites

6 Comments / Family Life

Happy Friday friends! It’s great to be back for Friday favourites with Andrea and Erika. So grab a cup of something soothing and let’s take a peek at some Halloween favourites. Halloween 2023 I joined my youngest cousins for some trick or treating, and we had such a fun afternoon and evening. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Halloween has been gaining popularity in Australia over the years, with more and more people embracing it. While it’s not as massive an event as it is in some parts of the world. It’s gradually evolving into a bigger celebration. There’s no doubt about it, there are plenty of Aussie kids (young and old) who love to dress up and get free candy or lollies as we call them over here! Before I went on my own Halloween fun I left a note on my front door with a cauldron of lollies. In case some kids in my street came knocking. I hope the local kids enjoyed some sweet treats. My aunt picked me up and we drove to my cousin’s house. When we got there they had fun 80s music playing in their front yard and my cousin was there ready and waiting to hand out lollies in his Ken outfit. I won’t share a pic because I’m not sure if he’d want me to. But trust me, his costume was fantastic! Here I am with my younger cousin. She was Dorothy from “The Wizard Of Oz” and I wore a costume from one of my favourite series “Money Heist”. We walked around, got our steps up big time and said hello to the locals who were out trick or treating in big groups. Halloween decorations are still pretty minimal over our way but this giant spider got my attention! I honestly don’t think I could comfortably walk into my house if a huge spider was greeting me like that….shudder! Even the fake ones scare me! We were all starving afterwards so we walked back to the house for pizza. Not sure why the pizzeria we got the pizzas from is called “Ugly Pizza” because they sure tasted amazing! Halloween loot! We were a small group this year as most of the gang from our cousin Connect group couldn’t make it due to work commitments. So this weekend we are having a late Halloween party and dressing up in our favourite costumes. Yep, it’s the first Saturday of the month so that means it’s time for our monthly dinner get-together. Yay! Halloween Fun At Preschool We are mindful that not all children and families celebrate Halloween at our preschool. However, we offered some fun and low-key Halloween activities for those who were excited to join in. Halloween sensory tubs. The kids made masks. Playdough monsters. I read one of my all-time favourite books to the children called “A Dark Dark Tale” by Ruth Brown. My kids used to love this book too! It’s the cutest story that has a big build-up to the funniest ending. The kids loved it and thought it was hilarious. So fun! We also danced to some cute Halloween-themed music like the skeleton dance and sang ‘Days Of The Week’ Adam’s Family style. It was a fun week sprinkled with some Halloween favourites. I hope you had a great week too and are ready for an even better weekend! Happy Friday and happy weekend!

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November Edition of Currently

5 Comments / Family Life

Hey, there everyone it’s so good to be here today for the November edition of Currently hosted by Jennifer from Overflowing With Thankfulness. Holy moly it’s November already and I’m shaking my head in disbelief! Today we will be taking a peek at what we are loving, buying, preparing, excited for and planning. So let’s get started! LOVING Over the weekend I watched a very inspiring documentary called ‘Live to 100 – Secrets of The Blue Zones’. Have you seen it? It’s all about author Dan Buettner travelling around the world exploring five extraordinary communities where people live long fruitful lives. These “Blue Zones” are living proof that a life filled with purpose, social connections, and a diet rich in whole foods can lead to vibrant health and happiness. I loved this documentary and it’s given me so much optimism to do ageing right! BUYING I would love to say that I have been smashing my Christmas present list and I have been buying gifts like a champ. But ummm…….no. I haven’t even thought about it yet. PREPARING At preschool, we are preparing for our Christmas concert. We are in the process of deciding what songs to sing for the parents. During group time we have been busy asking the children for suggestions and getting them to vote on their favourite songs. Do you know how hard it is to get them to vote? It cracks me up because a lot of the kids don’t get the voting process and vote on every song!! Even when we explain to them that they can only raise their hands and vote for one. Nope, all these little hands shoot up after every suggestion haha! EXCITED FOR I have a few things coming up that I am so excited about. First of all, it’s time for our monthly cousin connect this Saturday and it’s my turn to host. Most of our cousins couldn’t come along to trick or treat on Tuesday afternoon so we are thinking that we might turn Cousin Connect into a belated Halloween party. My youngest cousin is performing in this year’s Schools Spectacular. The NSW Schools Spectacular is an annual event where students from all over the state of New South Wales participate in an amazing production. It features performances including music, dance, and theatrical arts. This is to highlight the creativity and talent of all the students involved. I’m excited to go and see my little cousin perform in this event. It will be the first time I will go and see it live, usually, I catch it when it’s on television. In late November I’ll be enjoying some time off that I’ve accrued from attending after-work staff meetings and staff development evenings. This means I’ll have a whole two days off from work. I’ve already made plans to go Christmas shopping with my lovely friend on one of those days. Haha, it’s almost like playing hooky from work and I’m sure that I’m going to feel like I’m being a very naughty kid skipping school! I’m also excited about going to the Danish Christmas markets which I mentioned to you guys the other day. I think I’m generally excited about the rest of the year with so many fun events to look forward to! PLANNING On the weekend when my whole family is together, we will be planning who is going to host Christmas Eve. We always celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is a very low-key day. I am the one in charge of the games for the night so I will be starting to plan some fun minute-to-win-it style games soon. Last year was such a hoot and we had so much fun playing crazy games that had us all in stitches. I think that everyone’s favourite game for the night was ‘tortilla slap’ so I may have to repeat that one! I guess that just about covers all that I am loving, buying, preparing, excited for and planning. Thanks so much for being here today. I always appreciate you guys stopping by to have a read. I hope you have an amazing day and I look forward to being back here on Friday!

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Hello Monday

11 Comments / Family Life

Hi friends it’s great to be back for Hello Monday with Holly and Sarah. I’m excited to kick off a brand new week after a relaxing weekend. Last week, I must admit, wasn’t my favourite. So I was more than happy to say ‘Adios’ and see the end of it! That’s one of the things I love about Mondays – they bring us the opportunity for fresh beginnings! Anyway, thanks so much for being here today as I update you on a couple of things. As well as share a bit about what I got up to over the weekend. Appointment With The Orthopedic Surgeon Last Wednesday we went to see the orthopedic surgeon about Steve’s foot. We weren’t surprised when the surgeon recommended a bone fusion for Steve’s right foot. As I have shared with you guys before, poor Steve has been dealing with severe osteoarthritis for years, and the pain has been his constant companion. While the surgeon’s recommendation wasn’t unexpected, it’s still a bit of a shock to have this reality looming on the horizon. It’s going to be a long recovery process and this means Steve will be off from work for months. On the plus side, the surgeon is confident that the surgery will finally relieve Steve from the constant pain he’s been enduring for years…Amen!! Website Problems!! My website is still experiencing issues and the images on the home page appear stretched and distorted. The good news is that at least I’ve regained access to my site. Last Friday I was locked out for security reasons ??? That meant that I was very late posting my Friday favourites, at one stage I thought that I wasn’t even going to be able to do that. The mysteries of the technical side of blogging…ugh! On A Brighter Note That’s a couple of updates and now onto some fun things that happened over the weekend. My aunt came home from her overseas trip on Friday morning. So I invited her and three of my cousins for a very last-minute dinner. I was so excited to see her and my cousins that I brushed off my Friday night fatigue. I also threw my frustrations at my website not working aside and I raced home after work to prepare dinner. I made turkey bolognese, garlic bread and pizza. My aunt brought a big salad and my cousins brought some doughnuts for dessert. I laughed when I saw the name on the box. Mochi! Just like our new kitten. It was a total coincidence as none of my cousins knew about our new family member. Saturday Saturday afternoon I went to pick up my new glasses from Specsavers. I’m so happy with both the reading glasses and the sunglasses for distance. They fitted perfectly and didn’t even need any adjusting. I also love the colour of the case for the reading glasses as I’m pretty sure I’ll have a hard time losing them with a bright yellow colour like that! I went for a wander around the shops and even though I loved looking at the Christmas decorations in TK Maxx. I felt a real pang of sadness come over me as I remembered all the special times when my mum and I would go shopping to look at Christmas decorations. I miss my mumma. In the evening I started watching Hallmark Christmas movies on Amazon Prime. They are all old ones but I don’t have the Hallmark channel and I don’t even know if I can access it over here at all. So far I’ve watched five Christmas movies, they are all so predictable but oh so good! I also hung out with this crazy girl. We both snuggled under a blanket because it was so cold! Don’t worry we have also been giving Sushi lots of extra attention and cuddles. We need to make sure she knows we love her and make up for the fact that Mochi is a total nutcase and won’t play nice yet. Sunday Sunday I went to church in the morning and then when I came home I made granola. Then all I did was plonk myself on the couch for the rest of the day to watch more Hallmark movies and a couple of other shows. My friend sent me this and I am so excited to go! In 2021 COVID ruined everything and the markets got cancelled. Last year we missed it because we had a fun wedding to go to. So this year we are excited to go and check out all the cute Danish Christmas ornaments and eat some traditional Danish food. That just about wraps up some of my weekend highlights. Tomorrow it’s Halloween and I’m excited to go trick-or-treating with my younger cousins. I’ve got my costume all ready and I can hardly wait. I love this time of the year so much! Have an amazing day and I look forward to being back here on Wednesday! See ya!

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Quick Friday Favourites

7 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hey, there friends it’s time for some quick Friday favourites! Let’s go. 1 Working with my besties makes me so happy! Due to some staffing changes, it just so happens that I am now working with some of my favourite people in the whole world. They light up my days and make me smile all day long. 2 Food always makes me so happy! These olives from Sandhurst are amazing! 3 Fresh fruit and vegetables also make me happy! 4 I bought some chocolates for Halloween next Tuesday. They were on sale at half-price this week at Woolworths. I caved and I bought a bag of mini KitKats for myself….shhh! 5 We had some delicious prawns and mussels for dinner on Wednesday night. 6 Coffee!! I won’t claim that I can’t start my day without it. To be honest I don’t think it has any effect on me at all. It never makes me feel more awake in the morning nor does it stop me from sleeping if I have one in the evening. But I simply love the aroma and the taste. This coffee from Peru is delicious! 7 I love where I live! I live twenty minutes walking distance to my work in a tree-lined street full of houses. If I walk about seven minutes south of my house then I will hit a bustling city full of apartments, shops, cafes and restaurants. It’s the best of both worlds and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! 8 I bought some dark chocolate from Aldi the other day and it tastes identical to the Lindt dark chocolate which is double the price. This one comes in individually wrapped portions making it an even fancier experience. It’s a super quick favourites post today because I’ve had a few issues with my website. Technical issues are not a favourite! I am also posting much later than usual because of these issues. But better late than never, right? Anyway, here’s to an amazing weekend and a much better next week! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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