Ruth(playworkeatrepeat), Author at PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Halloween And Other Fun Things

3 Comments / Entertaining, Planning and Hosting Tips

Happy Friday everyone! I hope that you have all had a fantastic week and are excited that it’s the weekend. I know that I sure am. This week was all about Halloween and other fun things. As usual, I am happy to be linking up with Andrea and Erika for today’s Friday Favourites post. Thanks so much for stopping by today and letting me share with you a few favourite moments from my week. Halloween! Monday we celebrated Halloween with my family and we had a blast! I finished work at 3.40 pm and I was out of the preschool in a flash because my aunty was picking me up at 4 pm from my house. We were all meeting at my cousin’s house to go trick-or-treating. I had just enough time to throw on my costume and finish sorting out a few treat bags for my favourite trick-or-treaters. Then I hung out a sign on my door saying we were out and left a cauldron full of candy. Sam and my other cousins joined us a bit later because they had work and school commitments. Sam actually finished his very last school exam ever on Monday afternoon. Now he is a free man until uni starts next year and he couldn’t be happier! My cousin lives about 25 minutes’ drive away from me. I was so surprised to see heaps of families out and about in costumes trick or treating. This never happens in my suburb where we only ever get a handful of trick-or-treaters knocking on our door. We had so much fun walking around in costume while my two youngest cousins knocked on doors and collected so many lollies! Afterwards, we went back to my cousins for dinner. It was hands down the best Halloween that I have ever had! Test Results On Wednesday I finally got my results about my thyroid nodules and everything is ok. Not great because they are all still there and one has grown a bit BUT the doctor said not to worry and he didn’t send me for any more tests. I can get another ultrasound in two years if I want to….phew!! I am so glad that is all behind me and now I want to stop hyper-focusing on them! To celebrate good test results my husband took me out to dinner. It was such a sunny evening! The food was delicious and the view was amazing. CPR Training I can’t say that after-work CPR training was a favourite this week. But I am happy that it’s over and done with for another year! Cottage Pie I made one of our favourite dinners on Thursday night. This yummy and filling cottage pie was perfect for a cold night. Yes, that’s right it’s supposed to be spring but it felt more like winter on Thursday. We were rugged up in thick coats all day because it was freezing and so windy…hmph! Blog Posts I seem to be in a better rhythm with posting blogs more regularly. I have really enjoyed participating in some fun link-ups. And I am getting much better at actually writing out a monthly blog schedule that I have been following. Here are some posts from this week in case you missed them. Monday- I recapped my weekend on the ‘Hello Monday’ link-up Wednesday- ‘Currently‘ link-up Thursday- I shared a lamb shank in red wine sauce recipe on Encouraging Hearts And Home Link-up It really was a great week. But all the excitement of Halloween and the relief of getting my test results has left me feeling pretty exhausted. We haven’t had a busy weekend in quite a while. But this weekend we have a few fun things planned. My lovely family is coming over for dinner on Saturday night. And then on Sunday my husband’s swim club is having a BBQ after their races. I don’t swim but I do eat like a champ! So I am excited to be joining them this season as a social member. I hope that you all have the best weekend! Happy Friday!

Halloween And Other Fun Things Read More »

Lamb Shanks In Red Wine Sauce

2 Comments / Recipes

I made some lamb shanks for my son’s birthday a few weeks ago and they turned out delicious so I thought that I would share the recipe with you today. I looked up some recipes on the internet for some inspiration and then I got an idea of what ingredients I needed. Then I just took it from there and added my own twist. Nothing screams comfort food like lamb shanks! You just can’t beat that delicious tender fall-apart meat served in a rich red wine sauce. It is just so luxurious! I had made lamb shanks before in a slow cooker but my slow cooker broke and I haven’t replaced it. (Now I’m not sure if I ever will). But this time I cooked them in the oven. They were super easy to make and everybody loved them. I served the shanks with creamy mashed potato and peas. But you could always serve them with gremolata, rice or just good old crusty bread. Lamb Shanks In Red Wine Sauce Lamb shanks are a tough cut of meat. So they really need slow cooking for the meat to be fall-apart tender. I think that nearly all recipes recommend that the lamb shanks be browned first. I have to admit that for this recipe I skipped this step and the shanks were still very tender, juicy, succulent and delicious. But if you have time then by all means go ahead and brown them first. They will probably taste even better (if that’s possible 😊) I just didn’t have time or energy to brown them first and I didn’t want to deal with cleaning up the spatter of oil that comes with browning any meat. This recipe is for four lamb shanks but I actually doubled the recipe because we had family over for dinner and I needed to cook eight lamb shanks. Ingredients 4 lamb shanks 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 clove of garlic Red Wine Sauce 1 tbsp olive oil 1 can of crushed tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic 1 onion finely chopped 1 carrot finely chopped 2 celery stems finely chopped 1 cup of red wine 1 cup of water 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp oregano 2 bay leaves 1 tsp cumin 2 chicken stock cubes Instructions Rub the shanks with garlic, oil, salt and pepper then set aside while you make the red wine sauce. Add a good splash of olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan and cook the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery until slightly tender. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, water, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, stock cubes and cumin Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes Pour the sauce over the shanks You can use a dutch oven or a heavy cast iron pot with a lid to cook the lamb shanks. I don’t own any of these so I just used my mum’s old Corningware that I inherited and covered them in foil. Cook the shanks in the oven at 180C for 2.5 to 3 hours Notes I am probably going against all good cooking rules by not browning the shanks first. According to the experts, my lamb shanks would taste even better if I brown them first. But I just didn’t have the time. And they tasted so good anyway! Cumin has a funny smell and I have to admit that I am always hesitant to use it. But I am sure that this is what gave my lamb shanks that extra delicious flavour.

Lamb Shanks In Red Wine Sauce Read More »

Borrowing, Planning, Prepping And Reading

9 Comments / Home

Hi friends, I’m so happy to be joining this month’s edition of ‘Currently’ and linking up with Jennifer from Overflowing With Thankfulness. Today we are looking at what we are borrowing, planning, prepping and reading. Borrowing I’ve been borrowing ideas from Pinterest! I have an exciting wedding coming up in a few weeks so I have been looking at some outfit ideas. I won’t be buying anything new to wear because I have a few outfits that I can choose from. And it’s been ages since I have worn any of them because of the pandemic. But I still like to borrow ideas from Pinterest on hair, make-up and accessories. Buying I’ve gone through a bit of a scented candle-buying phase. I branched out and tried a few different scents. Normally I just buy French Pear from Ecoya. But I haven’t bought it for a while and I have been really enjoying trying out different scents. I bought a soy candle from the farmer’s market a couple of weeks ago and so far this one has been my favourite. Next time I visit the market I’m going to make sure that I buy another one. Is it just me or do you guys get excited about groceries too? Ever since I joined Woolworths delivery unlimited and I do my grocery shopping online. I just save so much time and energy! And I get such a kick out of having my groceries delivered all nicely packed for me. I wish that I had done this sooner instead of going to the supermarket every week. I am also planning to start my Christmas shopping soon instead of leaving it until later. Because I know that the next few weeks are absolutely going to fly by!! Planning My lovely family are coming over this Saturday for our monthly family get-together. It’s my turn to host this month so I have been busy planning the menu. I’m really hoping that the weather is nice because I would love to be able to use our courtyard space. Our dining room is small and so entertaining in a small space can be a challenge! We are usually all squished together when we sit around the table to eat. I always have visions of eating under some fairy lights in the courtyard. But the weather never seems to be on board with me. I was thinking that I might cook some Italian food (my favourite) and see if we can eat al fresco! It’s not supposed to rain this weekend but the weather has been all over the place lately. So I’ll see what it’s like on the day. Prepping This week we have been talking to the kids at preschool about our end-of-year plans for a Christmas concert. It’s been two years since we have had a concert with parents being allowed to come inside the preschool to watch their children perform! Wow, two whole years!! It’s always fun getting ready for the end-of-year events at preschool. It makes me reminisce about the time when my Sam who is now 18 was at preschool with me as one of his teachers! Here he is at his preschool Christmas concert when he was five. Reading I have been really enjoying reading some blogs from many lovely bloggers around the world! It’s been great to get to know a bit about them and their everyday lives. I also love reading about fun topics such as decorating, organisation, fashion and meal planning. It really is such a sweet and inspiring community! That just about sums up this month’s edition of Currently. Thank you so much for stopping by today to read about what I am currently borrowing, planning, prepping and reading. I hope that you all have the best day!

Borrowing, Planning, Prepping And Reading Read More »

Happy Halloween

6 Comments / Entertaining, Planning and Hosting Tips

Hey friends Happy Halloween and hello Monday! I hope that you all had a great weekend and I’m very happy to be back here today joining Holly and Sarah for today’s Hello Monday post. We enjoyed a fun weekend that went by way too fast as usual! Saturday I was so excited to see the sun shining brightly on Saturday. I went out onto my verandah and noticed that this beautiful plant that my wonderful bestie gave me is starting to bloom! See the pretty red flowers. It makes me happy to see lovely flowers in the front garden. The coriander and basil that I planted in September are still alive! Believe me, if you know what a terrible gardener I am, you will know this is a huge achievement. I think that the coriander might be going to seed! I made a tomato, roast capsicum, boconcini and basil (from my pot plant) salad for lunch on Saturday. Then in the afternoon, I got stuck into folding some laundry and I decided to throw these socks away. I haven’t found their matching pair in ages and I don’t need this kind of negativity in my life 😂 .So I threw them out! I bet that now I have done that, the matching socks will turn up!! In the evening I went to see the Australian Fleetwood Mac tribute show with a couple of friends. Poor Steve had to work which is a shame because he loves their music. It was a fun night and my friend and I were on the dance floor the whole time. Before the show, we had a quick dinner. Oh my goodness it was probably up there with one of the worst meals I have ever had. All I ordered was a cheeseburger and fries. I think a cardboard box with tomato sauce would have tasted better! My friend’s husband had a very chewy steak. Needless to say, we won’t be ever going back there again! But we did have a very fun time and it was nice to get out on a Saturday night. I haven’t done that in a while! Sunday My lovely friend invited me to her daughter’s first birthday party and I had the best time. She did such an amazing job with the decorations and activities for the kids. I think she has such a gift for planning children’s parties and I am always in awe of her attention to detail. Gorgeous party bags. So much delicious food! Craft stations for the kids. I remember hosting parties for my kids when they were little and it was fun but so exhausting! It was much easier when they got a bit older and we could have parties at venues like laser tag and bowling. It’s Halloween! I guess that wraps up my weekend. It’s a short and sweet post today because I’m off to join my cousin, her kids and the rest of the family. We are trick-or-treating together for the first time. I am really excited and it should be a fun night even though storms are predicted. I’ll be back later on in the week to tell you all about it Happy Monday and Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Read More »

Last Week Of October

2 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hey everyone well well well….. isn’t it crazy how quickly this week went by and now it’s Friday already! I hope that you all had a great last week of October. I’m excited to be here linking up with Andrea and Erika for today’s Friday Favourites post. Thanks so much for stopping by to have a read and for letting me share with you a little bit about what went on in my week. The Last Week Of October! Some New Sneakers I was really happy that my new sneakers got delivered on Monday. They were waiting for me when I got home from work and it was like opening a birthday present even though I had ordered them for myself. Yesterday I blogged about simple things to be happy about. Receiving parcels in the mail is definitely on the list! Because I haven’t exercised in forever I actually didn’t even own a pair of proper sneakers. So when I joined the fun dance exercise classes a couple of weeks ago. I had to wear my work shoes because they were the closest thing to a sneaker that I owned! A Play Tent For Our Preschool Room We got a new tent for our preschool classroom. It was easy to put together but I had to get inside it to attach the poles. Hahaha! Medical Stuff Tuesday really wasn’t my favourite day because I had to have my thyroid scanned to get some nodules checked. I get my results next Wednesday but I think everything is looking like it’s ok. Anyway, I was stressing before my appointment because whenever I have to deal with anything medical my anxiety just skyrockets!! I had a few hours to kill before my appointment so I did some stress cleaning and cleaned out the cupboard under the ensuite sink. BEFORE AFTER Dinner Out Wednesday evening was fun because we went out for dinner. We had some bruschetta on black bread with prosciutto and figs. It wasn’t anything like the bruschettas we normally have but it was very delicious. Then for mains, we had some good old chicken schnitzel with salad chips and gravy. Hooray For Some Sunshine! We finally had a few sunny days this week along with nice temps in the mid 20’s! Uni Welcome Sam got a nice welcome letter from the university where he will be studying next year. I still can’t believe he’s 18. He has one more exam next Monday and then he’s officially done with school. Halloween House I walk past this house on my way to work every day and I think that this is the only house in my suburb that has any Halloween decorations! But in saying this I have to admit that I don’t decorate for Halloween either. All I have are two plastic pumpkins sitting on my verandah. World Teachers Day Today was World Teachers Day and our lovely director welcomed us with some surprises this morning. She had all our names on individual certificates stuck up around the staff room. We got to choose a pen and notebook! I picked a brown notebook because neutral colours make me happy! I couldn’t resist a glittery pink pen because I love pink too! And that’s it the last week of October! Wow, I can hardly believe that the month has just sped by and left my head spinning! I hope that you all have the best weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday!

Last Week Of October Read More »

Simple Things To Be Happy About

7 Comments / Life Hacks

Sometimes life can throw some real curve balls at us. But even though we might not feel happy during challenging times. I think that it’s important to remember that there are a whole lot of things that we can be happy about. It’s important for our mental health and well-being to practice gratitude. So today I have put together a list of simple things to be happy about. When we recognise the simple things that bring us a sense of happiness then we will soon realise that we really do have a whole lot of things in our lives that we can be thankful for every day. Simple Things To Be Happy About A Hot Shower After A Long Day Washing away a long hard day in a soothing hot shower is my absolute favourite thing to do. When I step out of the shower and feel all squeaky clean then put on some fresh clothes I instantly feel happier. Dancing It’s hard to stay grumpy when you hear your favourite music from your teenage years. Go ahead and dance like there is no one watching. Better still find a fun exercise dance class and dance your way to happiness every week! Laughing So Hard Your Sides Hurt This is just such a great feeling! Apple Pie And Ice Cream The best go-to comfort dessert ever! Perfect for either cold winter nights or warm summer days. Stationery New pens, notepads, sticky notes and shiny paper clips. They are just instant mood lifters. My favourite stationery shop for all these lovely stationery items is Kikki. K. Fresh Clean Sheets The feel and smell of crisp clean sheets are one of the most simple things to be happy about. Washing Your Hair I love how soft my hair feels after I wash it. Then every time I catch the smell of shampoo it just makes me feel so happy. Cuddling Up Next To Your Partner On The Sofa I feel warm cozy and safe when I cuddle up next to my husband on the sofa. Of course, if we are watching something scary on TV then he is on his own because I’ll be cuddling the closest pillow! Lunch Breaks I always joke with my coworkers that the best part of the working day is lunch breaks! Fridays Even the hardest days are bearable when it’s a Friday and you know that you have the weekend to look forward to. Scented Candles Lovely soft scents evoke feelings of warmth and coziness. Getting Dressed Up I love having a fun event to look forward to that requires getting all dressed up. I feel so happy planning my wardrobe, hair and make-up leading up to the event. Cheese Boards And Wine Any favourite food will always make me feel very happy. But enjoying a lovely glass of wine with a cheeseboard just always feels so luxurious. Sleeping In Waking up naturally without the shock of the alarm going off makes me feel so relaxed for the rest of the day. Rainbows When I spot a rainbow in the sky I am reminded of how even after all the dark clouds and rain there will eventually be some bright sunny, colourful days. My beautiful friend also encouraged me to remember that rainbows are like a sign from our loved ones in heaven saying hello to us. Holding A Baby Cuddling new life in our arms is just so precious. Long Distance Phone Calls From Family Or Friends I love chatting with my aunt and cousin who live so far away in the USA. We spend ages catching up and reminiscing. My face almost hurts from so much smiling after we have finished our long-distance conversations! Watching A Good Comedy Spending a couple of hours lost in a good comedy plot can do wonders to lift my mood. Receiving Parcels In The Mail When I receive a parcel in the mail, I feel as excited as I do when I unwrap a birthday gift! Seeing A Ladybird Ladybirds remind me of spring. So whenever I see one I feel happy because it means that warmer days are just around the corner. They are also the only bugs that I am not deathly afraid of! Having A Clean House Nothing beats the feeling of a fresh clean house because it means that I can relax and enjoy myself without worrying about any housework waiting to get done. Seeing The Bottom Of The Laundry Hamper Even though this lasts about one minute in our house. It’s still one whole entire minute of happiness! Squeaky Clean Teeth Squeaky clean teeth mean lovely fresh breath Visiting An Antique Store My happy place is a big antique shop called Mitchell Road Antique And Design Centre located in Sydney. Whenever I go for a visit it’s like I take a trip down memory lane. Seeing all the fun decor from the ’70s and ’80s makes me feel so happy…….ah those were the days! Fairy Lights Fairy lights are just so magical and can make any space look so inviting. You can’t help but feel happy whenever you are around some pretty fairy lights Family Get Togethers Having family in our life is just so special and I think that it’s so important to never take them for granted. The happiest memories that I have are the ones of my family being together. Having My Hair Stroked I love having my hair stroked because it just feels so soothing. It’s just the best feeling when someone plays with my hair! Related Articles Ways To Be Instantly Happier How To Stay Positive In A Negative World

Simple Things To Be Happy About Read More »

October 2022

3 Comments / Family Life

Hey everyone thanks so much for stopping by for the October 2022 edition of ‘What’s Up Wednesday’. Can you believe it’s November next week? I can’t wrap my head around how fast the weeks are flying by and there are only about eight weeks until Christmas!! As usual today we are looking at a few fun topics like what we’re eating, loving, watching and wearing just to name a few. So let’s jump in with WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK Monday night we had Butter chicken with rice and veggies. We went out for dinner on Tuesday night Turkey bolognese is on the menu for Wednesday night Thursday night we are having chicken skewers with salad and pita bread I have no clue what were eating on Friday night but it will be something simple for sure! Saturday I’m planning on making burgers and Sunday we’ll have some kind of pasta. WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT I can hardly believe that we only recently enjoyed Spring break. But I’m reminiscing about the freedom of not having to stick to a routine. I miss staying up late binge-watching TV shows and fun movies. But I’m sure that I’ll blink a couple of times and bam it will be the Summer holidays!! WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO Apart from the usual work work work. My boys celebrated their birthdays this month. Luke turned 29 and Sam turned 18. Where did my babies go!!!!! WHAT I’M DREADING Last ‘What’s Up Wednesday’ post I shared that I had some nodules on my thyroid that needed to be followed up. My scan appointment was yesterday and it looks like nothing has changed which is really good. But I still have to see my GP next Wednesday for some blood test results and I really don’t want to hear him say ‘fine needle aspiration’ when he looks at my scan results. I had that done two years ago and it was no fun. I wish I could be calm and rational when it comes to medical things but I am not at all. I catastrophise and get really anxious. So I guess I am dreading my appointment next Wednesday. WHAT I’M WORKING ON Not catastrophising! WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT My whole family is planning to get together for Halloween. So that will be a blast. Oh yes, we also have our friend’s son’s wedding towards the end of November and I am really looking forward to it. The church and reception venue are over an hour away from where we live. So we will be staying overnight at a lovely hotel. I’ve been looking forward to this for months. I just love weddings so much!! WHAT I’M WATCHING I started watching “The Watcher” I only saw one episode but I didn’t like it so I’m not sure if I’ll continue. Sunday night I watched ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ which was pretty good. I finished watching ‘Maid’ which I really enjoyed. Last night we finished season 4 of Cobra Kai and I just loved it!!! Now onto season 5. WHAT I’M LISTENING TO October has been all about listening to Kate Bush! I have always liked her music but ever since I finished watching ‘Stranger Things’ I have been listening to her music on repeat. WHAT I’M WEARING Well, I’m happy that I am no longer wearing heavy coats and jackets every day. We still haven’t hit consistently nice spring weather even though it’s October. So some days I still need to wear a few layers in the morning and then peel them off as the day gets slightly warmer. I guess we are in that transition stage where we still need some lighter jackets. This pale blue one that I bought a couple of years ago is perfect for this time of the year when it’s still cool. I was really excited to wear shorts for the first time last week! And now I’m wearing my workout gear for the first time in years since I started going along to fun exercise dance classes. I have also been wearing my clogs and they’re just so comfortable! I love buying them from a shop called Funkis because they have such a great variety of clogs as well as leather goods and clothes. WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND I have been invited to my lovely friend’s daughter’s first birthday party. It feels like she was only born yesterday and now she’s turning one!! I am really excited to be joining them to celebrate. WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH This year I want to start my Christmas shopping early and not be in a mad rush in the last two weeks before the big day. I want to soak up all the festivities and I am in the middle of putting together a bucket list of things that I want to do before Christmas. Every year the holidays come along very quickly. So this year I want to be fully prepared!! So I guess that wraps up October 2022! Thank you so much for stopping by to read about what has been going on in my little part of the world. I hope that you all had a great October and I look forward to being back here tomorrow. Have a great Wednesday! Linking up with Shay and Sheaffer for today’s What’s Up Wednesday’ post.

October 2022 Read More »

Enjoying The Little Things

4 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hi everyone it’s lovely to be back again for today’s Hello Monday link-up with Holly and Sarah. Didn’t the weekend just fly by so fast!! I had a few plans to do this and that but in the end, I just had a very much-needed low-key weekend enjoying the little things. After spending so many weeks longing for Spring. Most days have been like this. We had a gorgeous weekend last weekend and then that was it. It was goodbye sunshine and hello neverending grey skies for the rest of the week including this weekend! There is so much humidity and the air just feels so thick. We are really lucky in that we usually do have such beautiful blue skies. So when it’s so grey and gloomy like this I don’t really feel in the mood to do very much. Enjoying The Little Things So even though the weather wasn’t helpful. I still wanted to keep a positive mindset and so I thought that a good way to do this was to appreciate and document the little things that I might sometimes take for granted when I’m busy or distracted. Things like……. A cup of tea and vegemite on toast for breakfast. When I was little I really hated vegemite and I didn’t grow up eating it because my mum never bought any. She was always horrified by the taste and couldn’t understand how people could eat something so salty that looked like shoe polish! When I was in kindy I ordered a vegemite sandwich from the school canteen. I had seen my friends eating it at lunchtime and they seemed to love it, so I must have had a serious case of FOMO when I decided to order it. Well, I didn’t have the best introduction to vegemite. Because, the enthusiastic canteen ladies must have spread about an inch’s worth of vegemite on the sandwich, ugh!!! That is such a no-no. You only need a small amount. I threw it out and decided that vegemite was not for me and my mum was totally right! It was only after I got married that I started to eat vegemite. I would buy it because Steve loved it and I would often steal a few bites of his toast. So eventually I ended up liking it too. I guess you could say that it’s an acquired taste! I Enjoyed A Haircut! On Saturday afternoon I went and got a haircut. It wasn’t really a cut, it was more of a trim to get rid of the dry ends. Even though I didn’t get much taken off the length, my hair felt instantly lighter and bouncier. Then after I finished at the hairdresser I wandered around the shops for a little bit. Christmas Decor It was really nice to see so many Christmas decorations in the shops. This always makes me happy! I didn’t see many Halloween things, here in Australia it’s mainly all about Christmas decor from mid-October onwards. These gift tags were cute so I went ahead and bought them. I need a new wreath for my front door but the ones that I saw were huge and probably bigger than my actual door so I passed on them. I saw some cute tops in Witchery so I went in and tried on a few. They looked ok and they fitted well. But I didn’t really love any of them so I stuck to my wardrobe organisation rule and didn’t buy any of them. Candles! Because this weekend was all about enjoying the little things. I made sure to burn some lovely scented soy candles. They make me happy, especially on days when the weather is dreary. Scrambled Eggs I was really craving scrambled eggs when I woke up on Sunday morning even though it was early. I was surprised because I’m not much of a breakfast eater early in the morning. So I went ahead and made some but first I snapped a photo of the eggs because I thought that they looked so nice all lined up in the box. They seemed to be all the same colour too and I thought that they were very good-looking eggs haha!! Church After breakfast, I went to church. It was such a drizzly morning that I was so tempted to stay home but I’m glad that I ended up going. Roast Beef Roll I had some roast beef leftover from dinner so we had some roast beef rolls with gravy for lunch on Sunday. So delicious and perfect for a cold drizzly day. I gobbled it up so fast and forgot to take a pic! Chocolate Chocolate with hazelnuts is such a simple little pleasure that brings me so much joy!! I ate a few squares after I finished doing some blogging. And that’s a wrap! I had a lovely weekend enjoying the little things. Thanks so much for being here and reading along. I really hope that you have a great week! Happy Monday!

Enjoying The Little Things Read More »

Favourites For The Week

4 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hi, friends thanks so much for being here. I hope that you have all had a fantastic week but if you are like me. Then I’m sure that you are very excited that it’s finally the weekend! As usual, I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday favourites post. Today I’m sharing a few fun favourites for the week so let’s jump right in with my first favourite….. #1 I went along to a really fun dance exercise class for the first time this week! I used to go to Zumba classes for years and then sadly our amazing instructors stopped holding classes about three years ago. So that was the end of my Zumba journey! I don’t love exercising and going to the gym just doesn’t appeal to me at all. My only motivation to do any exercise is fun music and dancing! I was really missing Zumba recently and then just by chance I discovered Dance Nation. An ad for their local Tuesday night dance classes came up on my Facebook feed. So I pulled out my exercise outfit that hadn’t seen the light of day in ages and went along for the hour-long class. I had the best time!! The theme for the night was ’90s music and when I got there they were handing out fluorescent bangles. It was so cool to see everyone glowing in the dark! I loved all the music they played and I ended up getting a really great workout. My legs felt it for sure! Oh my goodness it was so hard getting up off the floor the next day at preschool when I was playing with the kids! I am excited to go back again next Tuesday night and I’m hoping that my sweet cousin (and former Zumba buddy) will be able to come along with me too. #2 Another huge favourite for the week was winning a $50 Country Road gift card at the dance class. It just so happened that on Tuesday night Dance Nation was celebrating its third birthday and they were giving out some prizes. I couldn’t believe it when my ticket number was drawn!! The best thing is that Country Road is actually my favourite clothing store. So I am very excited because now I have to go shopping for something haha!! #3 My kind neighbour knocked on my door the other day and she gave me a bunch of silverbeets from her own garden. She is such an amazing gardener and she loves growing all sorts of vegetables. I steamed the silverbeet and served it with our dinner that night. Yum! #4 I bought these cleaning brushes the last time that I went to Ikea. They are just so handy and I use them to clean all the hard-to-reach places in the shower. They are part of my cleaning kit and I totally recommend them! I can’t remember if I have already shared this with you but they are such a favourite that I just had to mention them again! #5 I really love reading and commenting on other people’s blogs. But for some reason, I was having so much trouble with commenting on some blogs. You see sometimes I would type a comment enter my name and URL then press submit and boom it would disappear! This has been happening for ages and it was just so annoying. Then the other day I had a light bulb moment. Instead of commenting with my name and URL I just commented as anonymous and typed my name after the comment. It worked and my comment went through! Yay!! I still can’t comment on some sites that ask me to enter my WordPress password. That just totally confuses me. If anybody can help me out that would be so great. #6 I always have some preschool favourites for the week that I love sharing with you. As I have mentioned before term four is my favourite term. The kids are just so settled, they know the routine and I have all built some really lovely relationships with them. I get sad thinking that some of them will be off to ‘big’ school next year because I will miss them. There is so much growth in term four! In the last few weeks, I have seen kids who have had such an aversion to holding a pencil begin to really enjoy drawing and colouring in. The children who were afraid to say boo are now laughing and enjoying my silly sense of humour in the classroom. We always encourage the kids to draw their own pictures but today they were asking me to draw spiderman, batman and Anna. I gave in and drew while they all oohed and aahed at my drawings. Kids can sure make me feel like a gifted superhero!! #7 After a long exhausting week, I think that it’s always nice to look forward to some treats. Tonight I am really going to enjoy a cup of tea as well as a couple of these yummy biscuits! So that wraps up some of my favourites for the week. I really hope that you have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday! Happy Friday!

Favourites For The Week Read More »

Simple Life Hacks That Actually Work

4 Comments / Life Hacks

Life hacks are simple and very useful shortcuts that make everyday tasks easier and save you time. Everyone needs some simple life hacks that they can refer to for sensible solutions. Here is a list of 15 simple life hacks that actually work and that I use all the time. I hope that you find them useful too! A List Of Simple Life Hacks That Actually Work 1. Keep Your Alarm Out Of Your Reach If you struggle to get out of bed in the mornings as I do. Then one good tip that I have found to be incredibly useful. It is to place your alarm or phone across the room and away from your comfy cozy bed. That way when the alarm goes off in the morning. You will have no choice but to get out of bed to turn it off. There is no chance of hitting that tempting snooze button if your alarm is not within your reach. 2. Prepare The Night Before A good way to start the day off feeling more organised is to get your things ready the night before. Doing simple things like deciding what to wear and then laying out your clothes the night before can be a real game changer. If you have kids this is also a great habit to teach them. It’s no fun running around looking for sports uniforms, misplaced shoes or library bags in the morning. Everyone will leave the house feeling totally frazzled and it’s definitely not a nice way to start the day. Another thing that can make mornings easier is to pack lunches the night before. I know that it can be tempting to leave it until the morning. But again if lunches are all made the night before then this is one less chore that will eat away at your precious morning time. 3. Have A Designated Spot For Everything A place for everything and everything in its place. This is such a great motto for life! If you have a designated spot for things like keys, wallets, sunglasses and hand sanitisers etc. Then you will always know where to find them. I think that the best place to keep all these things is right near your entryway. Even if you have a small entryway it’s still very helpful to have either a shelf, table or even a basket where you can drop all these essentials when you walk in the door. Then all your items will be in one place ready for you to grab when you leave home again the next time. 4. Clean As You Cook Another simple life hack that makes everyday life so much easier. Is to clean the kitchen as you cook instead of leaving a pile of dirty pots and pans until the end. While you are waiting for something to boil or the oven to heat up. Why not go ahead and clean and pack away the things that you have already used and won’t be needed again? You can also use this waiting time to do things like wipe out your microwave, clean the finger marks off your cupboards or give your fridge a quick tidy up and throw anything out that has seen better days. 5. Make Your Bed Every Morning Your bedroom will look instantly tidier once you have made your bed. It takes only minutes to make your bed in the morning. And the benefit of feeling like you have already accomplished a task is great motivation. 6. Keep A Water Bottle On Your Bedside Table If you keep a water bottle on your bedside table then it is so much easier to remember to hydrate first thing in the morning. I function so much better when I remember to drink water. I also like to have a small glass of water before bed and sometimes I get thirsty during the night. So it’s handy if I have water within easy reach. 7. Cook Extra Whatever you cook for dinner, go ahead and make a bit extra. That way you will have leftovers for lunch the next day. Or a meal for the freezer which will always come in handy. If I am making a casserole I will usually make a double batch and freeze one batch in a zip lock bag. Perfect for those crazy busy nights when there is no time to cook! 8. Easy Way To Clean Your Kettle Kettles are one of those appliances that can get easily overlooked. Have you looked inside yours lately? Chances are that it might need a good cleaning. A super easy way to bring your kettle back to its dazzling shine. Is to fill it with a mixture of half white vinegar and half water then leave it overnight. In the morning all you need to do is rinse it out and it will be as clean as can be. 9. Sock Solution Odd socks are one of those things that drive me crazy. A simple life hack to deal with this is buying the same type of socks whenever possible. 10. Washing Toys Children’s toys can get very germy and even sticky. A good way to give them a good wash is to simply pop them inside a laundry bag to keep them contained. Then wash them in warm soapy water and lay them out to dry in the sun. This simple hack is useful at home if you have children or if you work in an early childhood education setting where toys need to be washed regularly. 11. Lint Rollers Lint rollers are not only perfect for removing pet hair from your furniture. Lint rollers are also great for removing dust from fabric lamp shades. 12. Easy Glass Cleaner If you want sparkly shower screens, mirrors or glass table tops, ditch the spray-on window cleaners. Because they always seem to leave streaks. Even the ones that say streak-free on the label. Instead, simply use a damp microfibre cloth

Simple Life Hacks That Actually Work Read More »