Ruth(playworkeatrepeat), Author at PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Things I Am Thankful For This Week

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

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Easy Mediterranean Couscous Recipe

7 Comments / Recipes

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

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The First Weekend Of Spring

7 Comments / Hello Monday

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

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Favourite Moments From This Week

5 Comments / Friday Favourites

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

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Sustainable Beauty Products

8 Comments / Beauty and Self Care

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

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August 2022

5 Comments / Family Life

I can hardly believe that we are saying goodbye to August. Like how in the world did the month just fly by like that? Friends, it was a pretty good month and I am very grateful for that. I am so excited for the rest of the year because from September onwards there are so many fun things to look forward to. Once we hit September I start looking forward to the upcoming festivities and I am one of those people who loves seeing Christmas things at the shops from as early as October. But I’m getting way ahead of myself because today is all about August. As usual, I am linking up with Shaeffer and Shay for this month’s edition of ‘What’s Up Wednesday’. What We’re Eating This Week Turkey! My son is keen to eat more protein because he works out a lot at the gym and is into lifting weights. So he asked if I could make recipes with turkey. Apparently, turkey is low in fat, contains more protein than chicken, and also has many vitamins and minerals. Eating turkey can also lift your mood and make you feel more relaxed. Sounds good to me! I like to make sure we eat a balanced diet and I was more than happy to incorporate more turkey into our meals and also substitute chicken or beef with turkey. So on Tuesday, we tried turkey bolognese. Bolognese is not my family’s favourite meal but it sure is mine! The turkey bolognese did get a big tick of approval and everyone decided that it was very good. Later on this week I am going to make turkey burgers which are really delicious and much juicier than regular beef patties. Turkey mince is also much cheaper than beef mince so it gets two big thumbs up from me! What I’m Reminiscing About Back in January Steve and I enjoyed a very short but lovely getaway to celebrate our anniversary. Now that the weather is getting warmer I am really keen to go away somewhere again. I haven’t planned anything but I think that I would like to very soon. I have a big sore knot in the back of my neck and right shoulder so a weekend away that includes a massage would be ideal! What I’m Loving Gorgeous-smelling beauty products I have been loving some amazing health and beauty products from my friend’s online shop called “Simple Pleasures NZ“. She makes and sells an amazing variety of natural perfumes, soap, scrubs, body oils, and incense. All her products are sustainably made, biodegradable, free from animal testing, and ethically sourced. They smell so good and I love her products so much that I have been using them as part of my self-care routine. I will be sure to share more about some of her products that I have used very soon so stay tuned! Walking Another thing that I have also been loving is my walks to and from work. I have shared before that we only have one car at the moment. So luckily I live within walking distance of the preschool where I work. But even when we do eventually get a new car I think that I will keep walking because it’s just such great exercise. I do about 6km a day and I find that walking home in the afternoon after a busy and noisy day with the children is so calming and very pleasant. What We’ve Been Up To August has just been all about the usual things like work and school. Sprinkled with lots of fun moments with family and friends. What I’m Dreading Thankfully I’m not dreading anything at the moment. So that’s a huge blessing! What I’m Working On During August I have been trying to be more consistent with posting on my blog. I think that I am starting to get into more of a rhythm again and I am aiming to post at least 3 times a week. I also have to figure out what’s going on with my email subscription. At the moment for some reason, my blog won’t allow new email subscribers. In addition, my current email subscribers don’t seem to be getting notifications of any new posts. Ugh, the technical side of blogging can really do my head in sometimes. What I’m Excited About Spring!!!! I have been waiting for spring since Autumn. Sorry, guys I know autumn or fall is very popular but I’m not a big fan. Nothing fun happens in Australia during the cold months. I’m sure that if we had Christmas in winter then I would probably feel totally differently. I did try a lot harder this year to embrace the cold weather and even blogged about Ten Winter Essentials. I really enjoyed the cozy things about winter and all the delicious comfort food. But I am totally, completely, fully, and utterly ready for Spring! So super excited to see some of these pretty yellow flowers suddenly appear in the front garden! What I’m Watching I can’t get enough of Britbox. So many great shows to watch but I just wish that I had more time! What I’m Listening To I recently switched radio stations and now I am listening to Smooth FM. I am really enjoying this Sydney radio station. It plays some really nice easy listening music and best of all there is very little talk. What I’m Wearing Some days have been warmer so I have been able to get away with not wearing such heavy jackets. I think that most August weekends I have been wearing my favourite white Superga sneakers because they are just so comfortable. What I’m Doing This Weekend We have our monthly family get-together on Friday night and it’s Father’s Day on Sunday. So it looks like we are heading into a weekend of fun, food, and family. What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month Spring break! We have three more weeks of preschool and then

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Sydney-Shopping In The City

6 Comments / Discovering NSW Australia

Hi, friends I thought that for today’s post I would take you with me while I went shopping in the city of Sydney on Sunday afternoon. The Sydney CBD is full of great shops to fit any budget. Here you will find luxury designer shops as well as more budget-friendly alternatives. I love going shopping in the city. It is quite small when you compare it to some of the other major cities in the world. But the upside is that most of the shops are well within walking distance. The city also has some very beautiful historical buildings that have been lovingly restored as well as modern shopping malls and arcades. So come along with me today and enjoy a fun afternoon shopping in the city of Sydney. Town Hall I live about 30 minutes by train from the Sydney CBD. So I jumped on the train from the station that is the nearest to my home and then hopped off at Town Hall station. This station is right in the heart of the city and when you come out. The first thing you see is The Sydney Town Hall. This beautiful building was built from 1869-1890 and it was renovated in 1992. The Town Hall is a heritage-listed building and it is the home of the chambers of the Lord mayor Of Sydney. It also has council offices and venues for meetings and functions. See the steps, that’s where I used to meet my friends when I was a teenager. School holidays always involved fun trips into the city. And the Town hall steps are where we would always meet up. The Queen Victoria Building As you walk along George St The Queen Victoria Building is just across the road from The Town Hall. This is another building that fortunately got saved from being knocked down and was restored to its former glory instead. Here is The statue of Queen Victoria herself sitting right outside the Queen Victoria Building. I love The QVB as we all call it. It is full of some of my favourite shops like Country Road I bought my husband a polo shirt for Father’s day from Country Road The Daily Edited (tde.) The Daily Edited or tde. sell luxury monogrammable leather goods. I bought a cute leather hand sanitiser case that I had my eye on for a few months. T2 kikki.K kikki.K has the cutest stationery and I went inside looking for a new diary. I wanted a mid-year diary but they didn’t have any so I just enjoyed a quick browse. The QVB has so many beautiful windows and historical features Myer After visiting The QVB I headed along George St and then crossed the road to Myer. Myer is an Australian department store where you can find clothing, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, electrical, and homewares. Myer has everything that you would expect to find in a department store. Pitt st Mall I then headed over to the Pitt st Mall. It’s called a Mall but it’s more like an open space with shops on either side. I stopped to watch some street performers. They were so entertaining and I wanted to stay longer but I was on a shopping mission. Pitt st Mall always has some very talented street performers wowing the crowds. Westfield Sydney Shopping Centre Even though the city of Sydney has most of the major shops within walking distance. I always find that I do lots of steps when I go shopping there! Westfield Sydney is just along the Pitt st mall opposite Myer so this is where I went next. It has so many shops, so I quickly browsed and snapped a few pics to show you. Westfield Sydney is also where you will find the famous Sydney Tower Eye which is the tallest building in Sydney. I have been right up to the top where you get a birds-eye view of the city. There’s also a restaurant in Sydney Tower which has an amazing view and it’s on my list of places where I would like to eat. The Strand Arcade After Westfields, I walked over to my favourite arcade, The Strand Arcade. It is just so beautiful and it is full of some cute little shops. David Jones Then it was time to hit my favourite department store, David Jones. It is an upmarket department store and it was recently renovated and now it looks just so luxurious! I’ll have to go back in Spring because they always have the most amazing fresh floral displays throughout the store. Every floor of the David Jones store features both international and Australian designer labels. The Food Hall is probably my favourite part of David Jones. It is full of delicious food and everything is just so beautifully presented. They also have dine-in options too. I can never seem to leave without paying a ridiculous amount of money for some pastries or sweet treats. That’s ok as I don’t go there too often. Heading Home As I walked back towards Town Hall station to get the train home. I walked past the State Theatre so I took a few photos to show you. This is a heritage-listed theatre and it was built between 1926 and 1929. It’s very fancy and ornate inside. It was closed so it was hard to see but when it is all lit up it’s very beautiful. I took my mum to see Shirley Maclain perform here a very long time ago. It took me about a five-minute brisk walk back to Town Hall station. I hopped on the train and checked how many steps I had done in about three hours. 13556 steps!! So that was my Sunday afternoon shopping in beautiful Sydney.Thanks so much for coming along with me and I really hope that you enjoyed the quick tour! You might also like to check out a previous post about visiting Sydney that you can find here. Happy Monday! Linking up

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A Few Of This Week’s Favourites

3 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hi everyone! I hope that you all had a great week and thanks so much for stopping by and letting me share with you a few of this week’s favourites. Isn’t it great to say hello to Friday again? It’s almost hard to believe that next week we will be saying hello to September already! Like seriously how did the months just fly by like that? Sweet Tea On Tuesday the day started off with all the promises of a Spring day. It was warm the sky was blue and it was glorious. Then at midday, the clouds rolled in and the temperature plummeted. It even hailed for a bit! In the evening I warmed up my hands with a nice big mug of sweet tea. I drink coffee without sugar but sweet tea on a freezing cold night is my favourite. It’s the simple things! Wireless Bra Here’s a favourite that many of you ladies might relate to. Isn’t it great when you find a comfortable bra? I was so happy to find these buttery soft bras from Uniqlo. And best of all, they don’t have that horrible underwire. I’ve always had bras with underwires and the other day I noticed that I had a small bruise on my chest from where the wire had been digging into me. I had tried wireless bras before but they didn’t sit very comfortably as they slid up and were just plain annoying. These Uniqlo ones don’t do that. They stay where they should and they are super comfortable. They also have padding (which I need) and they give me some shape. I only bought one bra just to make sure that it was going to be comfortable. It passed the test so I will be heading back to buy some more and I will definitely be getting rid of those nasty underwire bras that I own. Fun Midweek Dinner With Friends Our friends Marianne and Daniel invited us over for dinner on Wednesday night. Our work schedules don’t really help when it comes to doing fun things on the weekend. So a midweek catch-up is usually what works well for all of us. It was such a lovely fun night and we had so much to eat. Our friends made a lovely meal for us which we really enjoyed over a glass of wine and some great conversation! We started off with some delicious cheese, crackers, and sourdough for dipping in olive oil and dukkah. Dukkah is a Middle Eastern condiment and it’s a yummy mixture of herbs, nuts, and spices. I had never tried it before but I really liked it. Daniel is a very keen gardener and he grew these cute cocktail avocados. Again, this is something that I had never tried before. They tasted just like normal delicious creamy avocados but they were so teeny tiny! We then tucked into some lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. It really was the perfect meal for a cold night. For dessert, we finished off with individual sticky date puddings and ice cream. We were so spoilt!! Thursday We had a staff meeting after work on Thursday. I have to admit that staff meetings after a long preschool day can be a bit challenging because I always feel like I have run out of steam in the afternoon. Luckily I managed to get on top of meal planning this week so I knew that I was going to cook a very easy dinner when I got home late on Thursday. I didn’t have time or energy to fuss around with cooking. So I quickly threw together some super easy tortellini, Barilla pasta sauce, garlic bread, and salad. Done in a flash! Preschool Favourites This Week Kinetic Sand Another one of this week’s favourites was Kinetic sand!! I had heard of kinetic sand but I had never actually played with it before. Our new director at work ordered some for our classroom and friends it is so much fun! It moulds so well, it’s easy to clean up and it feels great to touch. I just wish the kids would give me a turn to play with it at preschool! Haha! Book Week This week was Book Week! Book Week is all about schools and libraries celebrating books and Australian children’s authors and Illustrators. The children brought their favourite books to share with their friends at preschool. And many came in wearing dress-ups from their favourite book characters. We had so many little girls dressed up as Elsa from the Disney movie Frozen running around preschool. I guess Frozen is a book too! A Mini Tea Party We have a fairy garden in the playground at preschool and I spotted some of the children having a little tea party with the miniature tea set. So cute! Fathers Day Cards It’s fathers Day on the 4th of September in Australia. I’m really not quite sure why we celebrate it in September when most of the rest of the world has their Father’s Day in June. But anyway we do and so this week we have been busy making Father’s Day cards. That wraps up a few of this week’s favourites it was a nice week but I sure am glad that it’s the weekend. I hope that you have a wonderful Friday. Take care everyone and I look forward to being back here on Monday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika for today’s post.

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How To Make Your Home Look Expensive

5 Comments / Home Improvement Ideas

If you are looking to spruce up your home and give it a fresh updated look. There are some simple and inexpensive things that you can easily do to give your home that luxe elegant look. You really don’t need to break the bank or throw out all your furniture and start again! Here are some simple tips for how to make your home look expensive. How To Make Your Home Look Expensive Declutter! This is probably the best starting point and best of all it won’t cost you a cent! So if you want your home to look more spacious consider getting rid of things that you no longer use and that are taking up valuable room in your home. One of the things that you will notice when looking at luxury homes is that they are never cluttered. Once you get rid of the clutter then your home will look bigger and much more open. As well as neater and organised. If you are looking for some inspiration for decluttering then you might like to check out this post. Add Some Flowers Or Greenery Flowers or some nice indoor plants will add a special finishing touch to your home. Flowers provide a fresh natural element to any space. And if your home is decorated mainly in neutrals then you can display flowers that will add a really nice pop of colour. Buying fresh flowers can be quite expensive, so a few nice indoor plants will also incorporate an elegant natural effect into your home. Just the same as fresh flowers do. Another great tip if you are looking for ways to bring some greenery into your home. Is to simply go outside and cut a few branches from a tree or bush. If you display them in a glass vase they will look very high-end and absolutely gorgeous! Use White Bed Linen and Towels White bedding has a luxurious look just like you would find in a hotel. White towels also have that lovely high-end spa look. The great thing about sticking to white bed linen and towels is that they not only make your home look fresh. They are also quite easy to keep clean. If they start to look a bit grey then you can always just use some bleach to bring back the brightness. Stick To Classic Neutral Colours Neutrals don’t mean boring! Neutral colours are classic, timeless, and elegant. Neutral colour palettes are usually found in designer-styled homes. But if you really love colour then you can always add colour throughout your home in the decor that you choose. If you make a big colour commitment by painting your walls in a particular on-trend colour. Then you run the risk of having a home that will eventually look dated. Remember the peach colour craze from the eighties! Lamps Another great way to make your home look expensive is to update your lamps or lampshades. Ikea has some very nice luxe-looking lamps at a fraction of the cost that you would pay at a designer store. Hang Your Curtains Up High If you hang your curtain rods closer to the ceiling and then go for nice long flowing curtains that drop to the floor. Your home will look just as beautiful as the homes that you see in magazines and on Pinterest. Hanging your curtains up nice and high will give the illusion of a taller ceiling. High ceilings are a real feature that you will find in expensive homes! Consider Your Entryway Giving your exterior a complete makeover can be very pricey. So a nice and easy way to make your home look more expensive and have curb appeal without spending too much. Is to paint the door an elegant darker shade to make the entryway stand out. Or if painting is not possible then skip the paint and just add some nice tall pot plants. This will also give your entrance a great impact. Change Hardware Changing the nobs and handles on some existing furniture can take them from dull to luxe easily and cheaply. The same applies to the kitchen and bathroom. If you aren’t ready for a big kitchen and bathroom renovation. Then consider changing the handles on the doors and drawers. This mini-makeover is an easy way to make your home look expensive and it can make a huge noticeable difference. Add Some High-End Touches Throughout Your Home You can get fortunate and find some beautiful pieces from garage sales. All you need to do is bring them back to life by polishing or re-upholstering. Be on the lookout for decor items that are made from natural materials like leather, crystal, and solid wood. Adding these gorgeous high-end pieces will really lift your home giving it that elegant touch. Think About How You Style Your Home Elegant designer homes are always so beautifully styled and this is can be easily achieved in your own home without spending much money at all. You can style your home using favourite pieces that you already own. No need to spend money on expensive decor, just shop around your own home. And then achieve a designer-styled look by grouping your decor items using ‘The Rule Of Three’. When it comes to styling ‘The Rule Of Three’ means that you arrange items in groups of three because it is more visually appealing. Decor items arranged in uneven numbers give the rooms in your home a dynamic and overall aesthetically pleasing look. Make Your Home Smell Amazing Scent is very important when aiming to make your home feel cozy, inviting, and luxurious. This is probably one of the first things that you will notice when you walk into a home. Hotels and spas usually have a lovely subtle scent that appeals to the senses. You can easily achieve a beautiful scent for your home by incorporating things like Reed diffusers Scented candles Stovetop potpourri Room spray Add beautiful-smelling soaps in the bathrooms. Art Nice big

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Second Last Weekend Before Spring

5 Comments / Hello Monday

Hey everyone, so good to be back again for this week’s edition of Hello Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and that you are feeling refreshed and ready for a new week ahead. I’m happy to report that we all enjoyed a cold but very sunny weekend. It’s the second last weekend before spring and I couldn’t be happier about that! Thanks so much for reading along and letting me share with you a few things that we got up to this weekend. Friday! When I got home from work, I made sure to get right into my usual cleaning routine. I find it so tempting to forget the usual chores on a Friday. But I know that if I don’t get them done then I’ll be playing catch-up on Saturday and that is no fun!! I was really pleased with myself when I got everything finished and it really didn’t take that long. Then I knew I could spend the rest of the evening relaxing. Yep, I was home alone for most of the evening as Steve was at work and Sam went out with his sweet girlfriend. So I had some pizza, and ginger beer while I binge-watched some more Doc Martin. On Thursday I blogged about some fun things you can do when you are at home alone. Having dinner while watching a favourite show is most definitely on my list of fun things to do! Saturday Saturday morning I was up nice and early. It’s so much easier getting out of bed when the sun is shining. I’ve noticed that not only are the evenings getting darker later. But the mornings are now getting brighter much earlier. I’m all for that!! Steve and I went out for breakfast to our local Westfield. There’s a nice cafe there where they make amazing eggs benedict. They give you a choice of having the eggs with bacon or salmon. I love bacon but when it comes to eggs benedict, Steve and I are both on team salmon! The last time we were at the same cafe for breakfast, which I think may have been about a month ago. We were lucky to find a table as it was so busy everywhere. The shops and cafes were really bustling. But not on this Saturday, it was surprisingly quiet. We finished off by sharing banana bread with our coffee. Everything was so delicious!! We didn’t hang around at the shops but went straight home instead. We snuggled up with cozy blankets at home to watch an episode of Line Of Duty. Our cat Sushi joined us for a snuggle too. I feel like we have been watching this forever. This is because Steve and I don’t have much free time together during the week. So we can only catch an episode here and there. Anyway, we are on the final series now and I’ll be sad when it ends but I also want it to end because I am dying to know what happens! Filming! Just before midday Sam and I went to our friend’s house so that he could finish filming his HSC drama video. He needed some more actors and a different location. So I enlisted the help of some kind friends. I know Sam was a bit stressed about directing everyone. But he did great! He also had to do some more filming on Sunday as well as loads of editing. It’s a big project and I’m sure that he will be relieved once it’s all over. I know that I will be!! Saturday Evening I finished season nine of Doc Martin and now I have to wait for the tenth and final season ever. Not sure when that is coming out as I heard that they started filming in February. I absolutely love this show. After Doc Martin, I felt like watching a movie so I switched over to Amazon Prime and watched ‘House Of Gucci’ If you haven’t watched it then I don’t really recommend it. The movie was so disappointing and I found it really boring. I only got about halfway through before I gave up and went to bed. Sunday Sunday morning was cold but again very sunny. I went to church and then after the service I had a quick chat with a few friends over morning tea before I went home. I got there when they were doing the kids’ spot. Once the children all went off to Sunday school or Kid’s church as we call it then I found a seat. We have been learning all about the book of Hebrews. Later in the afternoon after lunch, I went for a pedicure, grabbed a few things from the shops, and had a coffee. I always say my name is Sam when I order a coffee. Haha! It’s just easier. In the evening I needed to take care of my grey roots!! My hair always feels soft and shiny after I colour it. I don’t enjoy the process of colouring it at all!! but I always feel happy with the results. I used to get my hair coloured at the hair salon but it always took so long. I prefer to do it at home now especially since I seem to have to take care of those greys more often these days. Sigh!! I use this Olia hair colour in light brown. Sunday Evening Sunday evening I did some meal planning and then I cooked some chili con carne. I think it’s just called chili in America but here in Australia, we call it chili con carne. Then I sat down to watch this season of The Block. It’s an Australian reality TV series in which five couples compete against each other to renovate houses. Then at the end of the series, all the properties go up for auction. The winning couple are the ones who sell their home for the most money. It’s a great show and I love following

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