Ruth(playworkeatrepeat), Author at PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Favourite Week Of The Year

Happy Friday friends! This week was the final week of preschool for 2021 and it feels like I might have just crawled over the finishing line!! We had our end-of-year parties with the children, watched the concerts and slide shows I put together, and we farewelled some lovely families we have known for a long time! Then we spent the last two days doing lots of classroom cleaning. Yes indeed it was a HUGE week and now I can happily say…..I’m on Summer break! So I’m excited to share with you some highlights of my favourite week of the year. Number One I received some beautiful gifts from some of the preschool families this week. I am always so overwhelmed by their kindness, generosity, and creativity! Look at this jar of beautifully presented cranberry choc-chip cookie mixture. The ingredients have all been added in layers and the jar also came with a cute tag of instructions. How clever!! So all I have to do is add the egg, butter, and vanilla. The super clever mum who gave us these cookie mixture jars even added some ready-made cookies on the top layer of the jar. I love this so much I almost want to keep it just to look at and not use it. Ha! But don’t worry I will make them sometime next week. I recently did a blog post on Christmas Gift Ideas For Teachers and now I’m thinking that I might have to go back and add some of these gift ideas to the list. I also received some decorated cookies in gift boxes. Luckily I managed to take a photo before Sam ate one (or two). He loves all the sweet treats I get to bring home and I think that this is his stomach’s favourite week of the year! We also received a big box of juicy red cherries which we divided amongst all the teachers. They were incredibly sweet and big! Number Two Sam recovered nicely after his trip to the emergency department on Sunday night and after taking it easy for a couple of days. He was able to catch up with his friends on Tuesday night. So Steve and I went out for dinner and then picked Sam up from his friend’s place afterward. We had a huge steak each! So Yum!! Number Three The weather has been a big favorite this week. We have finally had some consistent sunshine and warm weather. Wednesday night I made a colourful salad full of tomatoes, beans, and crunchy celery to go with our Salmon. I usually make teriyaki salmon which everybody loves but I was in the mood for something lighter. It was a nice change to go with the change in the weather. I will definitely be making this again. Number Four Thursday and Friday of this week have been pupil-free cleaning days. Now even though cleaning is not a favorite, I have to admit that doing it as a team isn’t so bad. We put some fun music on and get to work. There is time for a chat and a good laugh and we also get the opportunity to all eat lunch together. We had a staff meeting on Thursday and then our director ordered us some lunch. We had a variety of wraps, sandwiches, and fresh fruit. Number Five Every year on the very last clean-up day we have what we affectionately call a Maccas run. This means that instead of bringing our own lunch to work we go and get some takeaway McDonalds. One of us will usually take everyone’s order and then “run” up to our local McDonalds. Funny how this has now become a bit of a tradition for us. Number Six See my little cat Sushi here saying goodnight to me. She used to always come up to my husband and reach up to high-five him every night. But he works night shifts now so I get all the high fives from Sushi instead. She’s so cute and affectionate, I wish you could hear how loud she was purring when I snapped this picture! That’s It For My Favourite Week Of The Year! Well, I’m signing off for now and hoping for miracles next week as I do all the Christmas prep. Hopefully, all the stars and planets will align nicely for me and I will also get my Christmas shopping finished! Good luck to me!! Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika for this weeks Friday Favourite post

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How To Entertain In A Small Space

5 Comments / Entertaining, Planning and Hosting Tips

How To Entertain in In A Small Space– If you live in a small house or apartment don’t let this stop you from opening your home to your friends and family for a fun dinner party or casual get-together. Here are some simple tips you can follow so you can entertain in a small space and create special memories with your loved ones during these holidays. REDUCE YOUR CLUTTER Before you think of anything else consider reducing your clutter as a number one priority. When you have something fun to look forward to like entertaining. Then even the task of decluttering will feel less daunting. Your small space will feel and look bigger if you minimise your clutter. Take the opportunity to get rid of things you no longer need. Try and find a place where you could move things to, for example, a garage or basement. Temporarily store things like appliances, non-essential decor, or small clunky furniture. MAKE GOOD USE OF ALL YOUR AVAILABLE SURFACES When you live in a small home then every bit of space or surface is very important. If you clear your kitchen countertops then you can use this area as a buffet space. Empty bookshelves can be used to hold cheese platters or can even be a drinks station. Similarly with coffee tables, once they are cleared they make perfect spaces for snacks, dips, or charcuterie boards. Coffee tables can even be used as an alternative to a dining room table. THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT YOUR MENU It’s a great idea to start planning your menu as early as possible. Consider things like the amount of fridge space you have. Don’t be afraid to ask or accept any offers of bringing food. Guests are more than happy to contribute when it comes to food or drinks. This not only reduces the amount of work for you but also means that you are not taking up valuable fridge space storing numerous ingredients. Another good idea is to buy ready-made things like salads, sushi platters, or even entree platters. In addition, you don’t have to be a superhero in the kitchen. It’s probably best to stick to cooking dishes you are familiar with as you don’t need the added stress of experimenting with any new, fancy or complicated food. You want the dinner party to be a fun time for you and your guests. MAKE A BIG BOWL OF PUNCH Instead of offering a variety of drink options why not go ahead and make one big bowl of punch instead. There are so many fun recipes for a delicious and colourful looking punch to suit any occasion. Those big 1970 style punch bowls will add a really cool retro vibe to your next gathering. Or if you prefer, you can also serve your punch in a tall fancy pitcher! ALLOCATE A PLACE FOR COATS AND BAGS Consider investing in a coat rack or stand and placing it close to your entryway. This is a much better alternative than having guests place their belongings on valuable seating space. MINIMISE TABLE DECOR Avoid large and overwhelming centerpieces instead try a few smaller decorative pieces. Like a small bunch of fresh flowers. Then you can add cute details like votive candles or even candles of various sizes. This not only looks really nice it also creates a nice ambience. CREATE A COMFORTABLE AND INVITING MOOD Small soft glowing candles arranged around the room will always create a warm and inviting atmosphere. Avoid harsh overhead lighting and use a combination of candles and lamps instead as this will create a much more relaxing atmosphere. Small spaces can very easily get quite hot when it is full of people. Just be aware of this and keep guests cool with open windows, fans, or air conditioning. Also, try and remember to turn the oven off at least an hour before guests arrive. This will prevent your small home from feeling uncomfortably hot. Once the heat is trapped inside a small space it is difficult to cool it down, especially when it is full of people. Play some fun music you know your guests will enjoy. Remember to keep the music at a comfortable noise level so people don’t feel like they need to shout to be heard when they are talking. MAXIMIZE SEATING AND TABLE ARRANGEMENTS If you really want to have a sit-down dinner then just be mindful when it comes to the number of guests you invite. It might be best to keep numbers lower if you have your heart set on a sit-down dinner party. If you have a smaller home this might mean that you don’t have a large dining table. You could always invest in some sturdy fold-up tables. These are great to have and they don’t take up a lot of room to store. If not then consider setting up different areas around your small space where guests can sit comfortably when they are eating. For example, you could use a coffee table and guests could sit on the sofa. A desk could also be easily transformed into a table by covering it with a table cloth. For a super relaxed dinner party don’t be afraid to use large pillows, ottomans, or poufs. They may not be fancy but they can make great seating. GET CREATIVE It’s necessary to be as creative as possible when planning to entertain in a small space and sometimes you might need to improvise. You could do things like filling the laundry sink with ice to keep your drinks cold. Don’t be afraid to rearrange your furniture to make space for your guests. Push tables together to make room for a sit-down dinner. Use things like tiered platters when you serve the food to your guests. This will hold a variety of dishes without taking up too much valuable table space. RELAX AND ENJOY! Remember to enjoy yourself and spend time with your guests. If you are confident and relaxed then your guests

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A Weekend Of Ups And Downs

3 Comments / Hello Monday

Happy Monday Friends! Well, it certainly was a weekend of ups and downs. Friday night started off strong with a fun Christmas work dinner but unfortunately, Sunday night was a real low as we ended up in the emergency department. But thankfully everything worked out all ok in the end! Friday Night Fun For this year’s staff Christmas dinner we all went to a fancy Greek restaurant. I just love Greek food and there was so much of it I almost wished that I had worn big elasticized pants!! I had worked at preschool on Friday and admittedly I was a bit tired after a full day. So when I got to the hairdressers for my appointment to have a quick wash and blow-dry. I found it so hard to not fall asleep! There’s something about having my hair done that almost sends me into a sleepy trance. Speaking of hair, oh my goodness, am I sure glad I went to the hairdressers. As you may know, I am in a constant battle with my frizzy hair, and because Friday was such a miserable rainy day. There was no way that I could have tamed my hair, as well as my hairdresser did!! So Much Delicious Food! All the ladies looked beautiful and I think everyone enjoyed being out of their usual preschool teacher clothes. We were all starving and excited for the entree of Greek dips and bread. We indulged in some delicious cocktails Followed by more dishes. There was salad and halloumi drizzled with honey. I have never tasted such delicious halloumi. Then Balmain bugs Grilled octopus Scallops Carrots with fetta and lastly, a shoulder of lamb slow cooked with delicious herbs !!! See what I mean by so much food? We ended up sharing the lamb to take home. We finished off with pannacotta and coffee for dessert. Phew, what a food marathon!!! Saturday Luckily we had no Saturday plans so I slept in for a bit longer and then in the afternoon, I went to Bunnings to exchange a clothesline. My husband had bought a bright sunny yellow one to replace our old broken grey one. He couldn’t understand why I preferred the grey one?? Anyway, after I changed it for a grey one I went home and with the help of my younger son Sam, I managed to rewire the clothesline. I did get a bit tangled up and had flashbacks to when I was putting up the Christmas lights. My husband was at work and probably very happy to avoid this task. He’s a great chef but when it comes to handyman jobs, let’s just say it’s not his thing! Ha! In the evening I filled my Christmas tray with chocolates that I had received as a present from one of the lovely preschool children. I was very good and I only had two and then settled in to watch a Christmas movie from my list of favourites. Sunday Sunday started off strong but then fell apart in the late evening. It was another nice lazy morning and I spent much of the day just pottering around the house. Steve went to work in the afternoon and I watched not one but two romcoms. I love this one and then while I was making dinner I watched Bridget Jones Diary for the first time. I really enjoyed it and I’m not quite sure why I have never watched it before. I’m pretty sure everyone I know has. After dinner, I surprised my mum by taking her out to look at some local Christmas lights. This house was definitely the best one and funnily enough, it turns out that I knew the people who lived there! On the way home we stopped off at Mcdonalds and I bought some fries for my mum (she loves fries) and I had a Happy Meal with a strawberry milkshake. A Trip To The Emergency Department I got home and was just about to go to bed when Sam, my 17 year old showed me an abscess on his leg. Without going into any yucky details, let’s just say that as soon as I saw it I knew we needed to see a doctor. He had shown it to me about three days before and I thought it looked small enough and would probably go away but boy was I wrong. Then I got all the guilts because I honestly forgot about it (cringe!!) Sam had fun plans to go to his friends for a sleepover. They like to pitch a tent in his friend’s backyard and have a campout. So I thought that if we went to emergency and got his leg seen then he might have been ok to go. Well, that was overly optimistic!! We arrived at the hospital around 11.30 pm Sunday night and didn’t leave until 6.30 am Monday morning. It was so strange walking out and seeing daylight. By that stage, we were both wide awake and completely disoriented. I almost felt jet-lagged. The doctors and nurses at the hospital were great but it was a busy night so we had to wait for what felt like forever! No Sleepover for Sam Anyway, they did what they did to the abscess and now Sam is on strong antibiotics. And unfortunately, he had to miss the sleepover. His friends were so sweet, they dropped off a handmade card and a note for me begging me to let him go and promising to take care of him. But it really wasn’t up to me, he was under the doctors’ orders to rest. Anyway, his friends have assured him they will do the sleepover again soon! Poor little Sam. He’s over 6 foot tall but he’s little Sam to me. So that’s it, a weekend of ups and downs for sure!! Today I ended up taking the day off from work. There was no way I could have gone to work with no sleep. Well,

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The Last Week Of Preschool

Favourite Traditions

Christmas Home Tour 2021

11 Comments / Christmas

Christmas Home Tour 2021 Hi Friends and happy Monday, wow the weekend sure flew by! I finally managed to get my act together and I finished decorating the house. So I thought that it would be fun for me to open my door and welcome you into my home for a little Christmas home tour. Christmas Lights! Saturday afternoon I decorated my verandah with some solar-powered fairy lights. They are so easy to put up as I don’t have to muck around with any electricity. I don’t think they are as bright as the electric ones. But I’m happy with them and they have lasted quite a few years which is great These candy canes and Christmas trees are really cute and the little trees change colour! I wrapped the verandah with some multi-coloured fairy lights. I know I said that the solar-powered fairy lights were easy but even so I always manage to get myself in a tangle. Grrrrr! I am so impressed with houses that have a ton of lights. How do they do it?? I didn’t take a nighttime photo because the solar lights are still super faint. We’re back to cloudy rainy days and the little solar battery hasn’t had a chance to power up yet. I’ve had this festive sign for a long time too. Every year I stick it in my tall pot plant that’s just outside my front door. I bought his Christmas wreath from Ikea a few years ago, it’s simple and I really like the bright red baubles. I do think that it is starting to lose some of its shine so I might change this one soon. The Entry Way The first thing you will see when you come into my house are these two stars hanging on the wall. They are also from Ikea and they have a timer. Every night they turn on at 6 pm and then they turn off at 11 pm. How clever!! The garland over the door frame got a bit of a makeover, it was looking really dull. It had a sad-looking gold ribbon on it. I was so tempted to throw it out but in the end, I’m glad that I didn’t. To fix it up I cut off the ribbon then just added a few more small baubles and wrapped a string of tiny twinkle lights. I was happy with the end result, a much livelier-looking garland! This small entry table has a few Christmas knick-knacks. The nutcracker is from David Jones and I bought it about twenty years ago. Back then it was a bit of an extravagant purchase. Now it’s easy to find nutcrackers everywhere, but all those years ago you couldn’t. I picked up this sign from a two-dollar shop years ago. Dining Room I usually have some eggs made from stones in this bowl but for Christmas, I like to fill it up with some red and gold Christmas balls. These twigs have fairy lights on them all year round but for Christmas, I add some white decorations that I have collected over the years. Noel Noel! The Living Room When I put the tree skirt around the Christmas tree, my little cat instantly thinks it’s been laid out for her comfort! She’s so funny. The stocking holders in this next photo are from Pottery Barn and the stockings I had monogrammed from Vistaprint. These two pillows are a new addition this year. These other two I bought from TK Maxx last year. When my husband saw them he asked me why I had bought a pillow that said falafel ??? Bahahahaha!! This gorgeous nativity is from Willow Tree, I love how simple it is. The shepherd’s staff is so delicate, I accidentally snapped it last year when I was putting it away. I was so mad at myself but I fixed it straightaway with super glue and you can’t even see where it was broken. phew! Look at this miniature Peruvian nativity. My aunty gave me this and I just love how cute it is! Kitchen There are only two things going on in the way of decorations in the kitchen. I wanted to keep things simple so all I did was place a few gold balls and a string of lights into a glass vase. I bought this new sign on Saturday. It sits nicely on these open shelves above our tiny breakfast bar. That’s it, friends, that wraps up my little Christmas home tour. I always like to see how other people decorate for Christmas, It’s a great way to get some ideas and inspiration. Plus I’ll be honest, I just love having a sneak peek inside people’s homes. I hope you all have a great week, Oh my goodness! I can’t believe how close we are getting to Christmas. Eeeeeeeks I have to get onto my Christmas shopping quick smart!!! Happy Monday!

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Getting Ready For Christmas

4 Comments / Friday Favourites

Hi friends, happy Friday to you all!! I’m so excited to see the weekend as it’s been such a busy week. It’s all systems go at preschool as we spent the week getting ready for Christmas concerts and parties. At home, I have also been busy with all the things!. So let’s kick things off as I share with you some favourites of the week We finally put our Christmas tree up! I had big plans to decorate last weekend but we didn’t get a chance. So instead we decided to do it on Tuesday evening. It was the only night this week when we were all be home, and everyone likes to pitch in and help. So it worked out better this way. After work on Tuesday, I popped into the supermarket and picked up some egg nog to enjoy that evening while we decorated the tree. It always feels so festive to drink egg nog and my family can never get enough of it! have never tried to make my own, so I don’t really know how different it would taste from a store-bought one. But this Pauls brand is a favourite. On the way to the supermarket, I spotted some panettones at the deli so I bought a brand I had never tried before. I’m not really a huge fan of panettone like the rest of my family are, but I really liked this one! A Fun Christmas Movie We like having a Christmas movie on while we decorate. So we chose “Christmas With The Kranks”.We stopped decorating so many times to have a good laugh at all the funny bits. This is such a great movie! Usually, I start my Christmas movie viewing on 1st December. So on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I watched a couple on Netflix that I really enjoyed. But every year I like to make sure I watch my favourites. On Tuesday I shared with you a list of my favourite Christmas movies and TV shows. These are the ones that I absolutely must watch every year because they are so good!! and you can find them here. Delicious Treats And A Lovely Gift Well, the kind and generous parents at preschool have started bringing us some yummy Christmas treats as gifts. This week we received a huge tray of delicious sweets. It was full of chocolates, biscuits, lollies and mini cakes. So good!!! It was so hard to resist grabbing a handful of something every time we walked into the staff room! By Friday it looked like this. A lovely parent also gave us a tray of mangoes to share. She even tied each mango with a cute little red ribbon. What a nice touch! We each also received a handwash with a lovely decoration tied to the bottle. It’s made by an Australian brand called Thankyou. A Sunny Day! Another HUGE favourite this week was finally seeing the sun make an appearance!! We had not seen any sun in what seemed like forever. It had been rainy, cloudy, and gloomy for days on end. I have to admit that we are usually pretty spoiled in Sydney when it comes to blue skies and sunshine. Even though it had been forecast to rain on Thursday and Friday it didn’t which was such a fantastic surprise! The kids were out playing in the sunshine and the teachers were all grateful not to be cooped up inside like we were last week and the beginning of this week!! A New Hairdresser During Covid lockdown, I cut my own hair which worked out ok. But on Thursday it was really bothering me because it felt long and tatty. I googled some local hairdressers as I felt like I needed a change from my previous hairdresser. I found one and I gave them a call. The man was so friendly on the phone and asked if I wanted to come in for a chat about what I wanted to have done to my hair. So I did just that and when I got there I met his wife who put me at ease instantly. She trimmed all the dead ends and suggested I stop using the flat iron and just stick to the hairdryer. Sigh! So many battles with my hair to be straight!! I’ve decided to go with the frizzy hair on really wet days but I have my work Christmas party next Friday so I was keen to make sure I could get a wash and blow-dry for that evening. I will not be embracing the frizz that night!! Anyway, the new hairdresser was really nice and I like that she didn’t cut too much of my hair off. She didn’t do anything drastic, just fixed it up. I was also happy with the way she blow-dried it too. So I have made an appointment for next Friday. Not having to muck around trying to get my hair straight for our night out will be fantastic!! All The Christmas Craft Today we had so many fun Christmas crafts! The kids were busy decorating, painting, playing with playdough, doing puzzles and having the best time. It’s my favourite time of the year for sure!! So that was a peek into my busy week friends! Busy but sprinkled with many enjoyable and special moments getting ready for Christmas. I hope you have the best weekend. I’ll see you back here on Monday where I will give you a little tour of my house all decorated for Christmas!! Linking up with Andrea and Erika for today’s Friday favorites post.

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How To Stay Positive In A Negative World

1 Comment / Beauty and Self Care, Health and Well Being

Some days staying positive can be much easier than other days. You might do all you can to start your morning with a positive frame of mind. Then you find that your first interaction of the day, whether it is with a family member, work colleague, or even a stranger sets you off. Bam! Your positive bubble pops and you feel deflated, annoyed and the whole day is a struggle. So what are some things you can do to avoid this from happening to you? Here are a few tips for how to stay positive. Even on those days when you find yourself surrounded by negativity. 11 Simple Strategies For How To Stay Positive 1. Choose To Be Positive Positive thinking is a choice. Therefore we can choose to be positive in any given situation or moment. But firstly, we need to rewire our brains and make it a habit to respond in a positive manner whenever we are faced with negative situations or challenges. It is impossible to control everything in our lives and really the only thing we can control is how we choose to respond. We can choose to get down and pessimistic or we can choose to be calm, and optimistic. 2. Limit The Amount Of Negative News In Your Life Staying up to date with what’s happening is important, but try not to spend too much time on the news via TV, radio, or the internet. These days, scary, attention-grabbing headlines are everywhere and can rattle even the most resilient and positive people. 3. Surround Yourself With Positive And Loving People Make sure to surround yourself with positive people who will lift you up and bring comfort and joy to your life. Try and minimise contact with those who are always in a bad mood, gossiping about others, or looking at the negative in everything. Negativity is contagious and unfortunately, if you spend any length of time with people who are like this. You will catch their negativity too. 4. Practice Gratitude Practicing gratitude has so many benefits. Being grateful makes you feel positive emotions such as happiness. It improves your health and helps you build strong long-lasting relationships. As well as reducing stress and anxiety. You could get into the habit of taking the time each day to stop for a moment and think about the things that you are thankful for. Or you could have a gratitude journal where you jot down daily three things that you are grateful for and why. It is almost impossible to be negative if you have a grateful attitude. 5. Look For The Positive In Life Life can be challenging and messy. It is very difficult to be positive when you are facing obstacles and problems. However, try and focus on the blessings in disguise no matter how tiny they may be. Do take time to process your thoughts and feelings about the challenges you are facing. Once you have done this then it will be easier to find positive opportunities from these adverse situations. 6. Laugh If you have had a particularly tough day try and stay positive and upbeat by turning to laughter. It is easier to leave behind the worries of the day when you get lost in humour. You could watch an episode of your favorite comedy. Maybe ring or message a friend who is sure to bring a smile to your face. Laughter is great therapy as it reduces stress and anxiety. It will instantly boost your mood and help you cope better as well as helping to improve your self-esteem! 7. Practice Positive Self Talk Self-talk refers to the thoughts that are constantly running through your head. If your thoughts are constantly negative then the way you view life will probably be quite pessimistic. However, if you can control the negative self-talk and replace it with motivating and productive self-talk then your confidence will increase making it easier to wipe away any negative feelings. Remember to talk to yourself as you would talk to a friend. With kindness, compassion, and encouragement! 8. Have Something To Look Forward To Having something to look forward to acts like ammunition to fight against negativity. Thinking about something positive that you are excited about will diffuse the negative effects of a bad day. It’s fun to look forward to big weekend plans. But if you find that you don’t have any then looking forward to something simple is just as beneficial. For example, you could think about having a nice warm bath or shower at the end of the day. Followed by reading a good book or curling up in front of the TV. Think of anything that makes you happy and takes the focus away from any negative vibes. 9. Practice Self Care Practicing self-care by exercising, eating, and sleeping well will have a huge impact on how you deal with any negative situations that you may come across in your day. It is much easier to think clearly and have a more positive outlook when you are well-rested and not “hangry”. 10. Don’t Take Things Personally Sometimes people who behave in a controlling, negative manner are in fact feeling anxious, fearful, and insecure themselves. They may be dealing with difficulties in their personal lives or they may even be struggling with health issues. It is so hard not to take their behaviour personally, but it’s important to remind yourself that the way they act towards others is really about them and has nothing to do with you. 11. Be a Good Citizen Online Stay positive and make a real difference by being a good citizen online, just like you are in real life! Join online conversations with kindness and encouragement. Your uplifting words can change the tone of debates and set a new, positive standard for everyone. Great internet services, like nbn® Home Fast, keep you connected, but what really matters is how you use them. By bringing respect and positivity to

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My List Of Favourite Christmas Movies And TV Shows

3 Comments / My Favourite Movies and TV shows

My List Of Favourite Christmas Movie And TV Shows– One of the things I love the most about this time of the year is watching all the fun Christmas movies and TV shows. There’s nothing better than sitting in your cosy lounge room with the twinkle lights on and settling in to watch a favourite Christmas movie, in your pajamas of course! I have put together my list of favourite Christmas Movies and TV shows. Counting down to number one, these are the movies and TV shows that I will always try and watch every December. 10. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) This Christmas musical comedy is adapted from Charles Dickens’ ” A Christmas Carol”. It stars Michael Caine and the cast of muppets. It sticks true to the original storyline with a dash of good muppet humour and memorable quotes. I watch this every year with a group of friends. First, we enjoy a Christmas feast and then we watch the movie. It has become a tradition for us now. The Muppet Christmas Carol is a really fun movie to watch, it has some great dialogue and good bits to sing along to! 9. The Brady Bunch-The Voice Of Christmas (1969) I have always been a huge fan of the Brady Bunch. In this episode, Mrs. Brady loses her voice and can’t sing at church on Christmas Day. Her sweet daughter, Cindy then visits Santa at the mall and begs him to bring her Mummy’s voice back. Every time I watch little Cindy pleading with Santa it just makes me all teary. She’s so cute with those big sad blue eyes. Of course, everything works out in the end. Sigh! And then Mrs. Brady sings! Oh, boy does she sing, what a beautiful voice! 8. The Polar Express (2004) This beautiful movie is actually based on the original book, written by Chris Van Allsburg. It’s about a young boy who is having serious doubts about Santa. One night a train with a conductor visits him and whisks him away to the North Pole. I would have to say that the thing I love the most about this movie is the style of animation. It’s almost like looking at an old-fashioned Christmas card. Every single time I watch this beautiful movie I get serious cravings for hot chocolate! 7. Angels In The Snow (2015) This lovely movie is about a family on the brink of separation. The Mum and Dad are having major relationship problems. They go on vacation to stay at a gorgeous cosy looking log cabin that they have recently built when a huge snowstorm strikes. They are then forced to spend Christmas with a loving family who comes knocking on their door one night asking for help due to the terrible weather. There is one major twist at the end that I did not see coming the first time I watched it. This movie gives me all the cosy feels, just think log cabin in the snow at Christmas time and you’ll know what I mean. Can’t get any more Christmas vibes than this. 6. Falling In Love (1984) This movie starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep isn’t your usual Christmas movie just like Die Hard isn’t either. But it definitely makes my list of Christmas movies. It’s about two people who meet briefly in the famous New York city bookstore Rizzzolis while they are shopping on Christmas eve. They strike up a friendship and eventually fall in love. There is however one huge problem, they are both married to other people. (Cringe!!) Ignoring the fact that the movie is about infidelity, it still has a lot of Christmas feel to it. The majority of the movie is set during Christmas time. It’s in New York, there’s snow, bustling city scenes, romance (I know, I know it’s still about infidelity). But it has so many Christmassy-looking locations. I just can’t help liking this movie…….a lot. 5. Christmas With The Kranks (2004) This classic Christmas movie is just hilarious! I love the Kranks! Nora and Luther Krank cause a scandal in their neighborhood. Their daughter Blair is away overseas so they decide to skip Christmas and go on a cruise instead. At the last minute, their daughter rings home to announce she will be coming home to join the Kranks for their annual Christmas eve party after all. The loving parents don’t want to disappoint their daughter, so they embark on a huge mad dash to organise the party at the last minute. This movie has so many laugh-out-loud moments and my favourites would have to be the scene with Tim Allen after he has had botox. And of course the hickory honey ham scene. Every time I watch it I think maybe this time Nora will save the ham! 4. Home Alone (1990) I remember going to the movies to see this and the whole movie theatre going nuts. I love this movie because it is very nostalgic to watch, we all know what is going to happen next but it is still funny. Little Macauly Culkin is so charming as the kid who accidentally gets left home alone when his family all go on a trip overseas. The music in the movie is perfect and the McCallisters home is just exquisite! This is just a classic to watch and that’s right you can “Go ahead and keep the change, you filthy animal”. 3. Love Actually (2003) Ahhhhh what a fantastic movie!! I can’t even pick my favourite part because the whole movie is a favourite. This Christmas-themed romance comedy has so many amazing actors. It’s about eight different couples struggling with love and the way you eventually find out how all the characters are intertwined is so clever. The music, drama, comedy, and sad scenes all make this Christmas movie one of the all-time greatest. 2. The Vicar Of Dibley -The Christmas Lunch Incident (1996) This is my favourite episodes to watch at Christmas time. Dawn French

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A Great Weekend

8 Comments / Hello Monday

Happy Monday friends I hope you are all well and had a great weekend. Mine went by in a blink. But I’ve got a few fun snippets to show you for today’s Hello Monday post. Friday Night Friday night I was pretty exhausted after work. I did a few household chores just so as not to fall behind. Then I had a shower, popped my pyjamas on, and settled down on my comfy lounge to watch Steel Magnolias. Ahhhh I absolutely love this movie, it would have to be one of my favourites. I cry every single time I watch it. So good! I love Friday nights because I can stay up really late and not feel guilty. So I did just that, Steve came home from work super late or should I say early morning!! He watched the last few minutes of Steel Magnolias and then we went to bed. Saturday We had a nice slow morning at home and then in the afternoon, I went shopping with Sam. I would have liked to have done Christmas shopping but we went to get Sam some new clothes. He has outgrown nearly everything!! The Black Friday sales meant a lot of things were discounted so we did pretty well. He found a few T-shirts, shorts and a pair of pants. He shops fast like his Dad, I take forever to decide. We stopped to have something to eat in the food court. It was so busy but we managed to find a table. I had a really delicious Vietnamese roll. It was full of crispy fresh vegetables and a strip of crumbed Barramundi. I really enjoyed it and it was quite filling. Sam had a chicken schnitzel burger and he shared some of his chips with me. We had a really nice time shopping together! When I got home I spent some time cooking for the next day as my oldest son was coming for lunch on Sunday with his lovely fiancee. Sunday Sunday morning I made a quick trip to the Gamesmen to pick something up and I saw this Seinfeld lego set. I am a huge Seinfeld fan and although I am very tempted to buy this I am going to resist. I probably would never have the time to put it together nor the space at home to display it. It is very cute though! The Sesame Street one caught my eye too. Makes me wish I was a kid, I love lego! Ha, good thing I work with children, I seem to have many of the same interests as they do!! On the way home I stopped off at the bread shop where they sell really nice crispy bread rolls. This shop is a bit out of the way and parking is always a problem so I don’t often buy my bread from there. But because it was Sunday it was really quiet and I got a parking spot really fast. On the way back to the car with my bread, I took a photo of a couple of things that caught my attention. Funny, I have lived here forever and I seem to take my surroundings for granted. We have a statue of Miles Franklin. She was a famous Australian writer who wrote”My Brilliant Career”. This is a cute little historical museum that I haven’t visited in a long while. I am going to go back when I have some time in the holidays. We also have an old fire station. This is a Civic Centre where my boys used to have their end-of-year school presentation nights. A few years ago Molly Ringwald performed here too! I got home and got everything ready for lunch. We all enjoyed a lasagna that I made the day before. I made a fresh garden salad to go with it. For dessert, we had a Sara Lee sticky date pudding with ice cream. Sticky date pudding is more of a winter dessert which was just perfect because it still feels like winter! It was fun having my family together for a Sunday lunch. In the early evening after everyone went home. Sam did some school work, he has so many assignments due in the next couple of weeks as well as exams. It’s been so rainy and dreary here in Sydney thanks to La Niña. Keeping up with the laundry has been a challenge, to say the least. Thankfully because it was a pretty dry weekend I was finally able to catch up. So this is one of the highlights of the weekend. Dry laundry!! Who would have thought that such a thing could bring me so much joy!! Unfortunately, I do have a massive pile of folding to do. But at least it’s all dry! Monday Monday morning I was the first one up and I walked into the kitchen to find this guy. I was about to let out a huge scream but I managed to stop myself because I didn’t want to scare everyone who was still asleep. So I was very brave and just let out a little squawk. Then I got rid of it all by myself!! I went to work and showed some of the kids this photo. I am now a superhero in their eyes!! That’s about it for this weekend. It was low-key and fun, just the way I like it! I did have big plans to put the Christmas tree up and decorate but that didn’t happen. I just had no time!! So I’m hoping to do it on Tuesday night. Fingers crossed!! I hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for a brand new week! Happy Monday Friends!!! Linking up with My Glittery Heart for today’s Hello Monday post

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