Family Life

Hi All and thanks for stopping by for this month’s What’s up Wednesday post. I know I say this all the time but friends I cannot believe how fast the time is flying by. I’m sure I’ll blink and it will be Christmas. Woah! I love November and December because these two months it’s all about end of year fun!! 1. WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK We’ve been enjoying the freedom to eat out! We had a lovely dinner at our local club for our preschool’s annual end-of-year parent committee meeting/dinner. It was fun being able to eat and chat with the parents. Covid restrictions and protocols are still in place at preschool. This means that parents aren’t allowed to come into the preschool to drop off or pick up. We just meet them at the gate and sign the children in and out. I have always enjoyed getting to know the parents and chatting with them in the mornings and afternoons. Sadly this hasn’t been able to happen this year. So on Tuesday night, it was great to be able to get to know some of the lovely parents while enjoying a delicious meal. I had the snapper. It had the most delicious orange sauce. So good! A piña colada! One of our colleagues brought this amazing cake for dessert. Aside from this, we have also been eating lots of salads at home, I keep thinking that if we eat more salads the weather might warm up. But nope, most days it’s been cold and rainy. Spring where are you???? 2. WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT After lockdown, we have gone from zero to one hundred in terms of the frantic pace of life. The chase is on every day to get “all the things” done. Sigh! I’m missing the quieter, slower routine. 3. WHAT I’M LOVING I’m loving going to fun places like The Grounds Of Alexandria and going thrift shopping at Mitchell Road Antiques. A while back I shared how the last time I was there I had loved a pair of brand new and very bright coloured Orla Kiely shoes.  But was all indecisive and didn’t buy them. I then spent the next few weeks annoyed at myself because I couldn’t get those shoes out of my mind. Well, I went back to Mitchell Road Antiques a couple of weeks ago with my lovely friend and they were still there!! I couldn’t believe it. This time I did not hesitate and I snapped them up quick smart. They are super bright and not normally like anything I would go for. But they make me happy. Ha! We had a blast trying on some cool leather jackets! 4. WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO WORK WORK WORK!! I’m looking forward to the Christmas break. It’s week 8 this week and we finish up in week 11. Preschool will be closed for 5 weeks of glorious Summer holidays. Let’s hope the weather gets on board! 5. WHAT I’M DREADING Hmmmmm, let me think. Nope, I’m not dreading anything at the moment. These last few weeks are when all the fun stuff happens!! Staff Christmas dinner, Children’s Christmas parties, concerts, watching Christmas movies, and decorating the house. Yes indeed, all the fun stuff!! 6. WHAT I’M WORKING ON I have been super busy putting together the preschool end-of-year movie! It used to be a slide show, but now I would say it’s more of a movie. I take lots of videos and photos of the children throughout the year and now I am putting it all together. I found some great music to go with it too which I am really happy about.  There’s one nostalgic song and one upbeat song.  This project is a fun challenge for me and I have to admit that I get a bit obsessed with making it. It’s always on my mind and I have the music going on in my head constantly on loop. It will be good when it’s all edited and finished. Then hopefully my brain can have a rest. 7. WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT Christmas!! As well as the end of year fun and Christmas holidays. I’ve got a few things that I am planning to do during the break. We’re not going away anywhere but I’m excited about visiting local places and doing day trips. 8. WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING Do you know I used to read all the time? When I was at school I used to have to catch the train and then walk. My school was about an hour away by public transport from my home. Well, the whole trip I would be reading. I would even read as I walked. I’m so glad I didn’t get hit by a bus or something. Now I don’t read hardly at all, there’s just no time. I do however like to have a show on while I am cooking or doing chores. It’s the British shows that I have been really into lately. Recently, I discovered a series called ‘Finding Alice’ and watched season one on ABC iView. The lead actor is Keeley Hawes, the same lady who was in ‘The Durrells’. ‘Finding Alice’ is a comedy/drama series and it was so good. I totally recommend it as it had the right balance of humour and drama with plot twists as well as surprises. Now I have to wait for Season two which doesn’t come out until next year. 9. WHAT I’M LISTENING TO I’ve been listening to Crowded House on Spotify and taking a trip back to my high school days. 10. WHAT I’M WEARING So I’m still wearing winter clothes. Why oh why am I still having to wear jumpers, jackets, and thick bed socks. It’s supposed to be Spring but most days I’ve been freezing!!!! I Haven’t been able to enjoy wearing many spring outfits at all! 11. WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND I think I will be putting up my Christmas tree and decorating for

Hello, Wednesday! Hope you are all doing well and thank you so much for joining me in today’s What’s up Wednesday post where I will be sharing a little of this and a little of that. It’s been a great month with lots of fun things happening so let’s jump straight in and start with What We’re Eating This Week It’s still cool weather here in Sydney so I’ve been indulging in my love affair with carbs. I made a cottage pie earlier this week and it was so delicious! What I’m Loving I am so happy about being able to get out and about catching up with friends and family. I think that probably the hardest part about being in lockdown was being unable to meet up with loved ones. But now that lockdown is all over, I am really enjoying the freedom to meet up with everyone who I have been missing. I have also been able to get together with my lovely friend for a coffee catch-up which was really nice! We still have a bunch of things we are planning on doing together. Both of us are being very careful about staying Covid safe and getting used to this new “normal” way of living. But soon enough we will be doing lots of local exploring. Sydney we’re coming for you! What We’ve Been Up To We’ve been getting back to work! I can’t lie this one has been a bit tough. Lockdown had me at home from work most of the time which was a real treat! I’ve been working at preschool full-time for about 13 years. While I do love it and am so grateful that it is very close to where I live, full-time work is tricky. Balancing work, family, and “all the things” can be exhausting. So even though I missed my family and friends, lockdown gave me some time to breathe. Sam is back at school and very happy to see his friends. Steve who works in hospitality is now even busier than ever. He worked all through lockdown but his hours were reduced a bit. Now Sydney is open again he’s back to working long hours and I’ve hardly seen him! What I’m Dreading Nothing! I’m thankfully not dreading anything. I’m just super excited about the end of the year. September through to December are my favourite months ever!! What I’m Working On I’ve been sorting through boxes and boxes of old photos, toys, and neverending Pokémon cards. Look at this cute photo of my son! Going through my kid’s photos from when they were little made this chore much more bearable!! I’m also working on our end-of-year preschool movie. Throughout the year I make sure to take lots of photos and film the kids while they are at preschool. Then I put a movie together for each class using the iMovie app. It’s hours and hours of editing but I really enjoy this project. The parents love watching it and often get very teary seeing their little ones. I’m still trying to work out what songs to use for the movie, so if you guys have any ideas please leave me some suggestions in the comments below. I would be forever grateful!!   What I’m Excited About November is a pretty big month at preschool. We will be getting right into all the Christmas crafts as well as practicing for our Christmas concert. Every year our preschool has a big concert for the parents. The children spend weeks and weeks practicing, Everyone gets a very important part to perform. There’s singing, dancing, a play, costumes, and graduation. Sadly we say goodbye to most of our older kids as they set off for big school while the younger ones stay on for another year. What I’m Watching I finally finished most of the shows I started at the beginning of lockdown. My favourites were “The Durrells” “Parenthood” and “In The Club”. I am currently watching a comedy/Drama called “Bliss”. It’s an English show about an accidental bigamist! It’s funny and it has quite a few laugh-out-loud moments! The show I am really loving at the moment is “The Block”. It’s an Aussie reality show about renovating houses that end up going up for auction. The winner is the couple whose house sells for the highest price. It’s the final two weeks so it’s all very exciting. Always lots of drama going on at the block!! What I’m Wearing I’m wearing work clothes again. Just the usual basics that I don’t mind getting ruined. Can’t be too precious about clothes when you’re working at a preschool. BUT I’ve also had the chance to wear some nice jeans that I bought just before we all went into lockdown. I wore them for the first time the other night when we went out for dinner. These jeans are from Witchery and are super comfortable. I’m loving the high waist and how everything feels nicely tucked in (ha, you know what I mean right?) What I’m Doing This Weekend I’m organising a Halloween dinner and movie night for my family like I did last year. I can’t seem to get my head around the fact that it will be November next week!! Because we had such a long lockdown it almost feels like we’ve had our end-of-year break and now it’s the beginning of the year all over again. I’m just confused!! What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month Warmer weather!! So far we’ve had really cool weather with only a few warm to almost hot days here and there. I am ready for Summer but it’s just not happening yet, come on already!! That’s about it Well, that’s all for now. It really was a fun month when we were able to enjoy life post lockdown. I  hope you have a most wonderful day. See you back here tomorrow where I will be sharing a recipe for a very simple quiche!     Linking

Hi everyone happy Wednesday!! Thank you so much for joining me for today’s monthly recap What’s up Wednesday post where I am linking up with Sheaffer and Shay. Can you believe a whole month has flown past us just like that? We are really getting closer to the end of the year when all the fun stuff happens! Well, we finally have a date set for ‘Freedom Day’. The NSW premier announced that lockdown will officially end on 11th October. I am super excited that I’ll be able to see my family who I have missed so much and it looks like Christmas is all systems go!! Ok let’s recap this month and jump into today’s fun what’s Up Wednesday post beginning with 1. What We’re Eating Hello Mangos! yes, delicious sweet juicy mangos are back. I just love them, don’t you? Plus, every time I see mangos at the supermarket I get really excited. Because to me, seeing them means we are heading into summer, longer days, fun BBQs and end-of-year celebrations! Yes, I love mangos not just because of their delicious flavour but also because of what they represent! Go Mangos!! Sam has really been into ‘Full English Breakfasts’. So most Saturdays this month we have been indulging in scrambled eggs, mushrooms, sausages, bacon, hash browns, and tomatoes. It’s been a real cholesterol fest for me! But oh so delicious!! Smoothies!! we’ve had so many bananas lately given to us from some friends who have a banana tree in their back yard. So we’ve made delicious sweet banana smoothies with low-fat milk, just to make me feel a bit better about the state of my arteries. 2. What I’m Reminiscing About Being able to celebrate birthdays with my family. My mum, who lives with us turned 93 on 15th September and so I made her all her favourite food for dinner and an upside-down pineapple cake instead of a usual birthday cake. But this year it was just the 4 of us and I kept thinking back to last year when we had the whole family together. I’m feeling much more optimistic now though since we have a date set for when we can finally get together. 3. What I’m Loving Cutting my own hair! I know this must sound crazy but my hair was driving me nuts. It grows so fast especially the back. Not knowing when the lockdown was ending back in July I got brave and cut quite a bit off the back of my hair and tidied up the side layers. And guess what! It actually looked pretty good. I even liked it better than when my hairdresser does it. To tell the truth, in all my years I have never, that’s right never found a hairdresser I have been completely happy with. They always cut the sides too short and leave the back too long. They all do this, maybe it’s because I have a weird-shaped head or something. So anyway I trimmed it again last week and now I’m thinking this is the way to go for me. I can just trim it whenever I feel like it without having to wait for an appointment. 4. What we’ve been up to Just the usual lockdown stuff, staying up way too late on the days when I didn’t have to go into work. Watching really fun shows, playing words with friends, and endlessly chatting to my bestie on messenger. Sam has been doing online learning all term and can’t wait to get back to school to see his friends. He is super excited the gyms are opening up soon too. He has his driving learner’s permit so he’s gone back to doing lessons with Steve again. Strict lockdown had us all too scared to even let Sam practice driving in case they got stopped by the police. Now things have improved and some restrictions are easing he’s been back on the road with his dad again. Gulp! Steve’s been working, as usual, nothing much changed for him during lockdown because he works in hospitality. Restaurants were allowed to stay open for pick up and take away only. He can hardly wait for the local swimming pool to reopen. He loves swimming and is part of a Sunday morning swim club. We are very both very different, he likes swimming and sports. I like to be dry and sitting still. 5. What I’m Dreading I’m not really dreading much at the moment. We’ve all had our covid vaccines, Sam has his second dose next Monday. I was a bit anxious about that and glad it’s over. I guess I’m just dreading the frantic pace of life once everything reopens. Don’t get me wrong I am excited that lockdown is ending very soon but for the first time ever I had a chance to see what life was like without having to rush around everywhere. I’m thinking I need to make a few changes, I don’t want that stress-tight neck muscle to come back ever again. 6. What I’m Working On I’m planning a big get-together with my family for later next month. Last year I had everyone over for dinner and to watch a Halloween movie. I bought a cheap but good projector and we had a big-screen experience in the living room. Everyone had such a great time and I’m hoping to do this again soonish. I’ve also been doing things like tidying up and getting rid of unnecessary hair and makeup products from my bathroom cabinet. I’ve done my ensuite but need to do the main bathroom cabinet. I’m just not feeling very motivated at the moment but I am working on it. 7. What I’m Excited About I have to hold on to my heart because Sam turns 17 on Wednesday! How is that even possible. My nickname for him is Little Sam even though he’s over 6 feet tall and towers over me. I called him that in front of

Hi everyone, happy Friday!!  Yes, It’s the weekend and isn’t that great?  Thank you so much for stopping by today and joining me for today’s Friday Favorites post. I’m super excited to share with you guys a few of my favorites for this week. 1 First up I have to tell you I’m not just excited that it’s the weekend, I’m also happy that it’s the end of term break! I’ve been off work this week and I’m off next week too. I have to say that the last term at preschool has been so strange with all the staff on a part-time roster and hardly any children attending. Normally everyone is really pumped for the holidays and the last Friday before term break is always a flurry of excitement. Not so this time, it was a very low-key end to the term. But being on holiday from work is definitely a huge favorite. 2 We made a scarecrow during the last week of preschool! My lovely teacher friend had a great idea to make a scarecrow! We have so many Ibis living in these huge palm trees right outside preschool. They are actually becoming a big problem but there is nothing we can do because Ibis are protected in  NSW. Not that we would want anything awful to happen to them. It would have just been good if our local council could have been able to relocate them to the wetlands, where they usually live. After many enquiries, our preschool has been told that there is nothing to be done about them. Our solution to the problem was to make a scarecrow!! Although I have a feeling that he is too friendly looking to scare anything or anyone. Ha!, what do you guys think? 3 Sam received his Year 12 jacket in the post. I really love the design and it fitted him so well. But seeing him wear it made me happy and super sad all at once. I’m actually feeling teary just writing about it now. How did the time go so fast?  It feels like just yesterday that he was at preschool with me. It feels like five minutes ago he was starting Kindergarten and now he’s going into his final year of school. Waaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!! 4  Being in lockdown for now nearly 14 weeks is not so bad, especially when kind friends bring you scones! I had another friend drop these yummy, soft, fluffy scones complete with whipped cream and strawberry jam. 5 I am both a tea drinker and a coffee drinker and I am yet to pick a side because I can’t love one more than the other.  The Moconna brand is my favorite when it comes to instant coffee. I tried this one for the first time, instead of the usual one I buy and I really enjoyed it.  It tastes creamy plus I liked the fact that I bought it for half price!! 6 Look what all the staff got on the last day of term! A beautiful bouquet of flowers for each one of us!! Our preschool’s parent committee arranged to have these delivered as a surprise. They wanted to say thank you for just having finished off a very challenging term due to Covid lockdown. What a lovely gesture!! I must say that the preschool where I work not only has great staff but we are also lucky to have such a kind and super supportive parent committee. 7 My kitty cat is always a favorite. Here she is meowing at me, she’s been very vocal lately. maybe she is excited that it’s spring just like the rest of us! I can see she is losing some fur all over the floor too. 8 I was tidying up my bathroom cabinet and I found this I forgot I had bought this hair mask a while ago. I’ve mentioned before how much I love the Argan oil shampoo from Aldi. Well, this Aldi hair mask is just brilliant! Leaves your hair even softer and feeling healthier. I can’t remember if this was a special buy or they always sell it. It’s been ages since I’ve shopped at Aldi. But I will return once lockdown is over. 9 I had to run to Woolworths to pick up my online grocery order and I got to wear a dress!! It was a little cool and windy but definitely dress weather. It was so good to get out of track pants and my old T-shirt. I don’t really like posting pictures of myself but I have to show you because I was so excited. 10 Look at this!! I am so excited about this! I know, I know it’s a little crazy because my kids are too old but Mumma is collecting! Every time you spend $30 at Woolworths you get a little bag with bricks to make a Woolworths supermarket. That’s right a mini supermarket made of bricks!! I even went out especially this morning to buy the walls. I’ve got big plans to put this together tonight! 11 I found a Kit Kat wrapper completely sealed with no Kit Kat inside. I didn’t know whether to laugh or be sad that I missed out on a piece of my favorite chocolate!! That’s ok the bag comes with 17 more pieces and it really was funny. At first, I thought Sam was playing a trick on me. We both had a good laugh when I showed him. That’s All For Now I’m sure you are all as happy as I am that it’s the weekend. Even during lockdown weekends are still special and Friday nights are great for relaxing with the family. Steve is at work till late so I’ll put my little bricks together then when he gets home we’ll probably watch an episode of Good Girls. Please take care, stay safe, and enjoy your weekend! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

Twelve Favorite Things Hi all! So that you might get to know me better I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite things for today’s Friday favorites post. My Favorite Food I have to start with my favorite food because food in general, is my favorite thing to dream, think and talk about. Oh, how I love Spaghetti Bolognaise, it is my absolute favorite. I could 100% have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I’m not exaggerating. I even like the tinned version. Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong and NO ONE in my family shares my love for spaghetti, in fact, it’s at the bottom of the list for them. What is wrong with them, How are we even related ??? Now you might be thinking that this is because I cooked it too often but that is definitely not the case. I rarely make it because I know they don’t like (hate) it. Sigh! My Favorite Movie That would have to be ‘Volver’ with Penelope Cruz. I have watched this movie so many times I have lost count. I just love love love it. There is even have a framed poster of the movie in my living room. If you haven’t seen it, you definitely should. My Favorite Place to Go Mitchell Rd Antiques and Design Centre. This is a huge warehouse in Sydney and inside you can find a huge variety of independent stalls. In these stalls, you will find your childhood. It is full of things from all the decades. So much retro stuff like furniture, clothes, shoes, toys, and all the glorious 70’s home decor which I love to look at!! We go to Mitchell Rd Antiques sometimes on weekends and I could quite easily spend hours there but I don’t because I usually go with my husband. He likes it too but he can’t spend hours in there as I could. So as soon as lockdown is over this is where you will find me for the next three days. My Favorite Drink I love Bundaberg ginger beer. It has to be the Bundaberg brand, I’ve tried all the brands and this one is hands down the best! My Favorite flavor Strawberry!! I’m not a chocolate person, well I do like chocolate but not as a flavoring in milkshakes or ice cream. It’s strawberry all the way for me! My Favorite Thing To Do Dance, I love dancing. A couple of years ago I used to do Zumba and that’s where I got my weekly dancing fix. Sadly those days are over as the instructors finished their classes for good and moved on to do other things. I haven’t really looked around for any other classes near me but I might once things get back to normal. For now, my poor family just has to deal with me busting out some moves at home. Sorry guys! My Favorite thing to do With My Friend Shopping and High Tea- This is what I am so looking forward to once lockdown is over. My lovely friend and I are together on this and we are both excited. We’ve got big plans to hit the shops hard then enjoy High Tea at the Tea Rooms in The Queen Victoria Building like we did last year. The Queen Victoria Building is a beautiful old building in Sydney that was lovingly restored many years ago. I think there were plans to demolish it at one stage, but thankfully it got restored instead. Inside the QVB, as we call it you will find the most gorgeous designer shops as well as cafes, bars, and restaurants. It’s such a luxurious place to visit and at Christmas time they put up this huge tree that goes all the way from the last floor to the top of the third floor, smack in the middle of the building. Truly amazing. My friend and I had the best time chatting over High Tea the last time we went. We got served the most delicious dainty sandwiches, savory pastries, and scones with clotted cream. All this with our choice of tea served on the most exquisite china. So good!! I can’t wait to go back and this time I’ll make sure to take photos! My Favorite Comedy Show This would have to be Seinfeld. I have been a huge fan since the show started way back in the ’90s. I had just had my first son and we were home alone in the evenings as my husband worked night shifts.  After I had fed and bathed my little Luke I would put him to bed and be in time to catch Seinfeld on TV. I still laugh just as much now as I did then when I first watched it. Sometimes I use Seinfeld quotes in general conversation and I always know when I have found a Seinfeld fan. They get what I say. My favorite Comedy Drama Series Gilmore Girls- This is such a great show, I recently watched all the seasons and was so sad when it ended. Lorelai Gilmore always has me in stitches, she is just so funny and I really wish I could talk as fast as she does. I would also very much love to live in Stars Hollow. My Favorite Nail polish Color This would have to be Nude by Revlon. I hardly ever wear nail polish and if I do it’s usually in Summer. I do try other colors but I love nude the best. My Favorite Lipstick I was just thinking the other day that it has been months since I have even worn lipstick! I used to wear it every day but since we are in face masks all day every day and even at work. There is no chance or reason to wear lipstick. How sad, I can’t wait until life gets back to normal. I have enjoyed spending time at home during lockdown but now I need to get

Hi friends, thanks so much for stopping by to have a look at 10 fun things for this week’s Friday Favorites post. I really hope you have had a great week and are excited about the weekend like I am. Weekends always make me happy but it’s kind of weird because lockdown has me so confused ALL THE TIME, I’m never quite sure what day it is! I know you guys must know what I mean from your own lockdown experiences. The only reason I sort of know what day I’m up to is because of my work roster. If I wasn’t still physically going into work at preschool a couple of times a week I would be in an even worse state of confusion. Having said that, I still love the weekends because I know I can stay up super late guilt-free. Let’s get started on 10 fun things I have to share with you today, starting with- #1 Money Heist–  Oh my goodness!! Are you guys watching this? If you aren’t you totally should!! Season 5 came out on Netflix this week and we finished it in two nights. I could have done it in one but my husband said I should sleep. Anyway, it is SO good, and just when you think it can’t get any more exciting and you find yourself gasping it does. Sometimes I have to pause the episode we’re watching to literally calm down before I can keep going. I totally recommend this Netflix series, I would say it’s my favorite ever along with Breaking Bad. #2 Forgive me if you are not a meat eater but I was craving a big juicy steak for ages and so on Monday night we had this. My husband cooked this steak medium-rare to perfection and we had it with the creamiest mashed potatoes ever. I’ll have to share my secret for easy creamy mashed potatoes in the future. Stay tuned!! #3 We celebrated Father’s day on Sunday. I forgot to take photos but we did enjoy a really delicious lunch from a charcoal chicken place called El Jannah before Steve had to go to work. Working in hospitality mean he has to work even on fun days. #4 Summer Fruit!! The warmer weather means all the yummy summer fruit! We have been eating heaps of blueberries because we have been inundated with very cheap blueberries at the supermarket lately. Apparently, there is a surplus of blueberries because the restaurants and cafes are not needing them due to being closed during the lockdown. This means we get to buy them much cheaper. Sometimes they can cost up to $5-$6 a punnet. They’ve only been $1.50-$2.00 a punnet lately. #5 At preschool this week we started “Hearts of Hope”. Currently, we only have about 4 children attending regularly because of lockdown, so we haven’t seen most of the children at all this term. Our director sent out these cute heart outlines for the children to print off at home and decorate. They then had the option of returning it in person if they were out walking past the preschool or sending them via email. They look so good hanging off our front fence. The children have done lovely drawings and some have written nice messages of hope and encouragement. What a cool project! #6 I thought I might give this chai tea a try. Normally I like the Tetley Chai Latte sachets but I haven’t been able to get them lately. I have a weakness for sweet tea. I can do coffee with just milk and no sugar but I just love sugar in my tea. Anyway, this tea was quite nice once I added the sweetness and milk. #7 My neighbor popped around and gave me these lovely flowers from her garden. She likes to arrange flowers and she is really into gardening. She regularly surprises me with a nice arrangement. I then wash and return the vase. I really love this particular vase, it reminds me of those retro ones my mum had when I was a kid. Not sure what happened to the ones my mum had but I wish we had kept them. #8 I love Cadbury chocolate especially the hazelnut Cadbury block, don’t worry I didn’t eat the whole lot. I spread the joy out over a few nights. Normally I don’t like to buy whole blocks of chocolate as it can be hard to stop at just a small piece. I usually get the bags of smaller chocolates and limit myself to one a night. But hazelnut chocolate doesn’t come in small fun sizes so I’m forced to buy the block. ha! #9 My friend dropped off these bananas. Her husband (another keen gardener) has a banana tree in their garden. They have a very small garden but somehow keep a great big banana-producing tree….amazing!! I’ll have to make more banana bread. I posted a recipe for a super easy and delicious banana bread just the other day. You can find it here. #10 Finishing off my 10 fun things, I’m super excited about tonight because my little cousin, who is a year older than my oldest son has organized us to have a virtual Jackbox games night. Have you heard of Jackbox? My son and his fiancee introduced us to this a couple of years ago. The games are so much fun and we usually laugh so hard we can barely breathe. Jackbox Games offers heaps of super fun game packages that you can play on different platforms. We have played it using our TV with our phones as controllers. All I have to do is download an app called Discord??? I’ll let you know how we go but I’m sure it’s going to be great. I’ll leave all the technical setup to my 16-year-old. I love how my cousins and my own two boys include me (the old girl) in their games. They know I’m an old-school gamer

It’s the weekend! How did the week fly by so fast? I find myself saying this all the time but this week it really and truly did!! I have so many fun things to tell you about. It was a week where I was really blessed with kindness from some of my favorite people. Number 1 Yes, it’s the weekend but it’s also finally Spring and I am so happy! Spring is my favorite season and I just love how the days are getting longer and the flowers are starting to bloom. There’s a real sense of joy in the air once we hit September. Number 2 Last Saturday I made some chicken wraps with Mexican corn salad and tomato rice. I really love this Mexican corn salad and I have made it many times before. It’s a real on repeat favorite. Unfortunately, I didn’t have all the ingredients that give this salad its zing! Not going to the supermarket regularly means I am constantly running out of things or I don’t have all the ingredients I need. This Mexican corn salad needs coriander but I didn’t have any so I had to use parsley from our garden instead. I also didn’t have any red capsicum so I substituted it with tomato. In the end, it was still good but not great. However, we did enjoy it plus I even high fived myself for being creative and flexible. Ha! if it wasn’t for covid I would have been running out to the shops for all my missing ingredients! Number 3 Sunday was quite cold and we ordered some lunch from ‘The Fish Box’. It’s a small fish and chip shop about ten minutes drive from where we live. I had the clam chowder and so did Steve. It comes with this delicious bread bowl. It was so hot, creamy, and tasty that I didn’t want it to end! Sam had the fish and chips which he thoroughly enjoyed. Lunch from the ‘Fish Box’ is definitely a family favorite! Number 4 Sunday afternoon I was getting some things out of my wardrobe ready for my fashion and styling blog post when I pulled out this top complete with tags. I had completely forgotten that I had bought this. How does that even happen? I guess maybe because I haven’t gone out anywhere for so long! Anyway, I was really surprised and happy to rediscover this top and I look forward to wearing it once lockdown ends!! Number 5 I worked on Monday and it was nice to see the two children who attended preschool. It was a lovely sunny day for the last day of winter and the day seemed to go faster than when it’s cold and miserable.  I love the preschool where I work but honestly, it must be the coldest place on earth in winter!! My friends had planned a trivia game on zoom for the evening but first, my friend surprised me by bringing us dinner. That’s right she brought over dinner complete with entree AND dessert. She’s so kind! Later on, she joined us on zoom and we played trivia with her, her husband, and another friend.  It was a fun night even though we lost, I have no clue about Greek Mythology!! Number 6 On Tuesday Sam had an appointment for his first shot of Pfizer. We headed to the local aquatic center where they have set up a big vaccination hub. The NSW Government is setting up easily accessible venues and doing everything possible to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccination hub was impressively efficient and so well organized. There was some navy personnel helping out with marshaling and directing. When Sam was finished we walked out and we were given a bottle of water and a chocolate. How nice was that!! Number 7 Sam received this in the mail from his school teacher. I thought it was such a lovely kind gesture and I was so touched by the lovely note. Sam goes to an independent Christian School and after this year he only has one more year left. I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. It feels like it was only yesterday when he was starting school! sigh.  We are very happy with his school and we will be sad when he finishes. My oldest son went there too, so this school has been a big part of our lives for a long time.   Number 8 Look at this!! I found this on my doorstep, and I was so completely surprised and emotional. It was from a very kind and thoughtful friend and her beautiful daughter who I had the pleasure of having in my preschool class a couple of years ago. This just made my day, I was so overwhelmed at their kind gesture and I got very teary when I read the card. I really miss them and sadly I haven’t been able to catch up with them because of Covid lockdown grrrrrr.  I have such a special bond with my friend’s daughter and am super excited that her little boy will be in my class next year. Number 9 I was so happy to go to work on Friday, that’s right I was happy because it meant I got to work with my bestie. I hadn’t seen her in nearly two weeks. We are on a roster at work because we have very few kids attending this term so this means I see less of her than I usually would. She was so kind and was able to get my little cat her favorite cat food from a supermarket close to where she lives. For some reason, I had been unable to buy this saucy cat food (Sushi’s favorite) from my local supermarket. She also ordered this cool mouse and pad for me. I love how they match and they were super cheap from Kmart. I got to see her and get all

  Well Hello there and thank you for joining me for Whats up Wednesday! where I get to show you a peek into what’s been happening during the last month. I can safely say that not much has been happening AT ALL. Yes friends we are still in lockdown. While the rest of the world seems to be opening up, we are now experiencing some of what most of you went through last year! The good news is that thankfully nobody seems to be going toilet paper crazy. That’s right, everyone has been calm about that situation, and that’s one thing to be very thankful for. Ok so first up let’s look at What We’re Eating~ I should really say what are we not eating? because that’s all we seem to be doing! We are still enjoying all the glorious carbs and hot drinks. This week it’s been really cold, rainy, and windy. So spinach and ricotta pie, Chicken schnitzel, gravy, and lots of potato a hundred different ways were on the menu! I also made this super delicious Goat Cheese, Potato, and Onion Tart the other day and it was a big hit. You can find the recipe here. What I’m Reminiscing About~ I’m really missing my oldest son and his lovely fiancée. Waaaahhhhhh!!! They live about forty minutes away by car and before lockdown, they would often come over for dinner. I haven’t seen them for ten weeks.Sniff. What I’m Loving~ I love coming home from work to find my online shopping has been delivered. I was so excited today to finally get my beautiful Ecoya candle and diffuser plus my white quilt cover. What a haul!! What I’m Dreading~ I can’t say I’m really dreading anything at the moment. Although, I am getting my second dose of Pfizer soon so I’ll be relieved when that’s over and done with. My youngest son Sam is getting his first shot next week so I’ll also be thankful when that’s out of the way too. What I’m Working On~ I’ve started doing some fun fashion posts. On Monday I did a post about how to style a simple Black and white T-shirt in different ways. I really enjoyed doing this post and I think that from now on I will be doing more of them. What I’m Excited About~ Spring Spring Spring! Yes, it’s now closer than ever and I cannot wait! I am so over being cold and I am so excited for the warmer weather and longer days. What I’m Watching~ We are still working our way through ‘The Durrals”. This is such a lovely series based on a true story about a family who moves from England to the Island of Corfu. We have been taking our time with this series and I think it’s because we don’t want it to end. My Bestie recently finished it and she went through the post-series blues. It is such a great show and I really recommend it yet again. What I’m Wearing~ I seem to be spending a lot of time wearing my beloved Peter Alexander robe. It is so warm and cozy! In the evenings after a shower, I slip into my pajamas and this warm robe. I don’t think I would have survived winter without it.   So I guess that’s about all for this short Whats Up Wednesday post where I am linking up with Shay. I hope you are all well and staying safe!        

It was a fun family weekend at home. We all feel like we will be in lockdown for a very long time. But thankfully the weather this weekend has been absolutely beautiful!! and it has lifted everyone’s spirits up. It’s been absolutely glorious blue skies and sunshine making it feel just like spring. I’m a bit worried I’ll get used to the warm weather and then Bam!! the cold will come back! A Fun Family Weekend with lots of sunshine! Warm sunny days like these mean I have been sunning myself on the verandah a whole lot! The sun just invigorates me completely. Every day I go outside to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. I really like seeing our neighbours outside enjoying the sun too. Lately, we have been having great but very socially distanced conversations with them. The funny thing is that we have all been neighbours for a very long time. I have seen their kids all growing up and they have seen ours. But I don’t think we have ever had so many long chats with them as everyone is always so busy doing life. Ha! lockdown has its bright side I guess! Friday I had the day off from work on Friday and I concentrated on getting most of my household chores over and done with before the weekend. Later, in the evening I cooked a delicious roast beef with veggies and my family enjoyed the tender and juicy beef. So it was definitely a thumbs up from everybody! Unfortunately, I am absolutely hopeless about keeping hydrated and am sadly very inconsistent with my water intake. Only once I start feeling headaches do I realize that it must be because I haven’t been drinking nearly enough. Saturday morning I pulled out this lovely cup my very special little preschool friend gifted me a couple of years ago. I am trying to motivate myself to drink more and I’m hoping that this cup and straw will do the trick! Saturday In the afternoon I tried a new recipe for orange cake and I am happy to say that it turned out moist and delicious! So stay tuned for the recipe. Around the same time, my friend messaged me to say she was making my Apple and Berry gluten-free loaf and I was happy to hear that it was a big hit with her and her family. My friend and I have started calling each other ‘The Wonder Twins’, from the old 1970’s cartoon. We often say the same thing at the same time or are thinking the same thing. Now we are baking at similar times!! I was craving a latte and luckily I had these Moconna sachets. Have you tried these? I really recommend them because the coffee is so delicious and creamy. Before lockdown, I would sometimes enjoy going out for coffee but now this is no longer possible so I am enjoying these instead.  I only have them occasionally as a treat just like I would if I went out. I had the last piece of raisin toast to go with my latte. What is it about raisin toast that makes me so happy in the morning? Probably the juicy raisins right?? Sunday Sunday I indulged in a bit of online shopping. I have been very good and have not done any for such a long time. Then the other day I was chatting to my lovely friend (the wonder twin) on messenger and she was telling me about her online shopping and how fun it is to get stuff delivered. Well, that was all the motivation I needed and I was onto it!! I ordered a white quilt cover as well as European pillowcases, and regular pillowcases I was running low on these lovely candles Plus I also needed this reed diffuser. The French pear smell is my favorite! I’m looking forward to receiving these soon. Sunday night my cousin surprised me by dropping a big slice of her partner’s birthday cake on my doorstep. Lockdown means no visitors so she gave me a call to say the cake was outside my door. The cake she ordered was way too much for just the two of them. It was a win for us as the cake was a really nice rich chocolate cake with layers of cream. She sent me a photo of what the cake looked like before it was cut. It was a Pokeball!! Ha! My cousin and her partner are huge Pokemon fans and have been since they were little. My oldest son is too even though they are all just about to turn thirty soon!! That’s about all that has been going on this weekend. Although it was certainly very quiet it was still a fun family weekend. I am thankful we are all safe and praying that life will return to normal soon so friends and families can be together again. Please take care and I hope you all have a great rest of the week! Linking up today with My Glittery Heart and The Other Side Of The Road

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are all ready for a new week. We’re still in lockdown here in Sydney so we have just been staying home and staying safe. About the only things we’ve been up to around here are eating and watching either The Olympics or Netflix. During this weekend the weather has been quite pleasant and we have had some very beautiful sunny winter days. I tried to sit on my verandah as often as I could during the day to soak up the nice warm sun. Sometimes my neighbours come out and we have a very socially distanced chat. Other times I wave and say hello to the people walking by. Everybody is missing their loved ones so It’s nice to reach out to people by being friendly during this difficult time.  Weekend Happenings~ Saturday I enjoyed a really nice warm cup of lemon and honey. Being home for most of the time means I’ve been drinking more tea and coffee than usual so this was a nice refreshing change. I bought a bag of lemons at the fruit shop the other day and they have been so juicy. All I did was squeeze some into hot water and added a dash of honey (well, more than a dash if I’m being honest) it was so delicious and sweet. For dinner, I made a creamy chicken and mushroom pasta. Winter is just such a great reason to indulge in all the carbs. I love carbs and eat them all year round but carbs in winter equal less guilt. For this recipe, I used a light cream to try and keep the fat and calories down a tiny bit. I served it up with a side of broccoli and cauliflower and a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese. It was so good and my whole family loved it. I really miss going to cafes and eating out on weekends. I had this incredible craving for a strawberry milkshake on Saturday night! Lucky for me we had some strawberry flavoured syrup so I could satisfy this craving. I also added a couple of fresh strawberries too. Although my milkshake was very enjoyable, I am still really looking forward to when we can go out again. I will never take a milkshake at a cafe for granted ever again, that’s for sure!! Sunday Sunday morning I discovered we had run out of Weet bix and our favourite Granola. So I quickly made a nice fresh batch. This recipe is super easy and lasts for about two weeks. It can keep either in the fridge or cupboard and it’s great for breakfast or as a snack. You can find the recipe here. While I was making the Granola, I listened to our Church sermon via Zoom. Sunday afternoon Steve went to work and I had a super late lunch while I did some work. I made myself a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich with half a leftover potato ha! I told you I love carbs!! To go with my lunch I enjoyed a delicious lemon and barley cordial. I think I must be having a lemon love affair at the moment. This Bickfords cordial is my favourite. The barley is very subtle but I think it makes the cordial less tangy than when it just contains lemon. You can add as much as you like depending on your taste. I like mine on the sweet side. Sunday night Steve got home late from work and we enjoyed a small cheese plate while he made burgers for a very late dinner. We happily stayed up late because neither of us had to go to work on Monday Yay!! My goodness, those burgers were good. I just love burgers with all the fillings. Mine had pickles, lettuce, cheese, tomato, mayonnaise, beetroot and lots of tomato sauce. Steve added pineapple and egg to his burger too. He’s braver than me. Winding up a low key weekend~ In the evening we caught up on one of our favourite shows FBI and we also watched an episode of a British crime show called Vera. It was a very intense episode and one of the major characters got killed. We were not expecting that at all. I had a final cup of hot sweet tea and kept warm with my soft blanket. It was such a cosy night and a perfect ending to every low key weekend. Much to be thankful for!! Wishing you all a happy Monday and fantastic rest of the week. For today’s post, I linked up with My Glittery Heart