Friday Favorites

Hi friends, it’s Friday again, and you know what that means. Yep, it’s time to share a recap of the week. Thanks so much for stopping by today! I didn’t share about last weekend earlier because I joined the Share Our Lives Link Up, where we all chatted about how we find peace in our day. So, let’s backtrack to the weekend because things pretty much went downhill from there. Some weeks are just like that, aren’t they? Friday Last Friday night, my work colleagues and I had a fantastic dinner out courtesy of our amazing parent committee. They treat us to a meal each term at a place of our choosing, and we always pick a new venue. This time, we chose a newly refurbished local RSL and had a lovely night catching up. We see each other almost every day at our busy preschool, but there’s rarely time for much catching up! We started with cocktails, and I went for a strawberry daiquiri, it was like a slushie with a kick! The table was pretty long, so, unfortunately, we couldn’t chat with everyone. We probably should have moved around and swapped seats, but we didn’t think of it. Maybe we felt too tired from the busy week, and after a cocktail, we figured we’d better stay put. Tiredness and cocktails might not mix well if we were moving around too much! My work buddies I sat next to and I had a fun time, laughing hard and swapping stories about preschool life. At one point, we were almost in tears from laughing so much. I’ve got some seriously funny work friends! Sometimes, I think I could easily write a book or a sitcom about what it’s like to work with children in a preschool—though I’d probably end up losing my day job, so I won’t! I was starving, so I ordered two lamb shanks with red wine sauce and mashed potatoes. It was delicious! I was going to say it was gone in 60 seconds, but I’m a slow eater. Trust me, though, I polished it off easily. Saturday Saturday was time for cousin connect at my cousin T’s house. My cousin S, the charcuterie master, switched things up a bit. Instead of his usual amazing cheese board, he brought an artichoke dip. It was cheesy, melty, and oh-so-goody! Cousin S, who’s from Ohio, told us the dip was a recipe from a restaurant chain called Olive Garden. Now, I’ve added that to our list of places to eat when we visit the U.S. in January! I made a pasta. My other cousins brought schnitzel, lasagna, garlic bread and salads. It was a feast! Two cousins have their birthdays on the same day. So my aunt brought a chocolate cake to celebrate. We didn’t play our usual board game that night; we just sat around talking and sharing funny stories. Sunday Sunday, I felt exhausted and thought that I might have stayed up too late the night before or eaten too much. I spent most of the day on a bean bag with this girl on me and I love how she is so tired from just being a cat. Anyone would think she was busy juggling kittens and a full-time job, the way she’s sprawled out like that. I went to bed early and thought after resting all day and going to bed early, I would be ok. Monday, I went to work, and my throat felt scratchy. I spent the day talking all sexy-like. By the time I walked home, I felt really unwell and ended up with a temp in the evening. Ugh! I kept thinking nooooo I can’t be sick; I was sick a couple of weeks ago! Tuesday- I took the day off work because my back was sore, my taste buds had gone crazy, and everything I ate tasted like tin. These were the same symptoms I had when COVID got me two years ago. I’d done a test on Monday morning and got a negative result, but by Tuesday afternoon, I did another one and, you guessed it, it was positive. So, I spent the rest of the week feeling pretty terrible. I had zero energy, and even getting up for a shower felt like a massive effort. I wasn’t very hungry, but I did manage to eat the scrambled eggs Steve made for me. I’m sure they would have tasted delicious if my taste buds were working. They certainly looked good! His dumpling soup looked great, too! Usually, I don’t spend much time scrolling on Instagram, but that’s all I did while lying in bed. I came across this in my friend’s stories—so sad about the passing of James Earl Jones. Our grocery order arrived just in time because I had almost run out of tissues. Good news for Friday! Today, I feel much better! I’m still coughing, but I can move around and feel alive now, yay! I could even taste these juicy strawberries. So, that was my week… hmph! It wasn’t great, but I’m so glad to be feeling much better. I don’t have much on this weekend other than catching up with my lovely friend tomorrow. After that, we’re both ‘working’ on a Saturday as our preschool is holding a fundraising event at a local play and party centre. I thought I might be too sick to go, but now I’m feeling up to it and ready to get back into things. So, after our catch-up and a bite to eat, we’ll head over to the event and lend a hand for a couple of hours. It should be fun, or maybe I’m just saying that because I’ve been in bed all week, haha! Well, at least we won’t be ‘on duty’ as the parents will be there and will be responsible for their children. Phew! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday! Linking

Hi friends and happy Friday! It’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some favourites from the week that zoomed by oh so fast! Monday I got an early mark from work! It’s that time of the year when we have to write some detailed summaries of the children’s progress at preschool. Our director has rostered some time for each of us to work from home, where we can hear ourselves think. Our centre isn’t purpose-built. The building used to be an old council chamber that has been used as a preschool for over 70 years. While it has a lot of historical charm, it’s also very noisy and cramped. We’re constantly bumping into each other just trying to fit into the office. Finding a spot to work without interruptions is nearly impossible! So on Monday, I enjoyed a walk home at midday and couldn’t help thinking that working a four-hour day felt pretty good! Of course, I didn’t only work four hours because as soon as I got home I got stuck into those summaries. I had set myself some high expectations and thought that I would smash through them. But no, the time flew by and I didn’t get through as many as I had hoped. I’ll tackle more of them over the next few weeks. In the evening it was time to get together with some friends at our local club for dinner. It was a nice evening and the fish and chips were delicious. But I was eager to get home to hear about how Steve went on his first evening shift back at work. He is easing into work and doing fewer hours for this first week and so far so good. Yay! Tuesday Our go-to person for organising work socials—who’s young, fun, and always enthusiastic—was busy exploring potential venues for our Christmas work lunch. Without her enthusiasm, we’d probably miss out on some pretty great socials! Before she joined our team even making a decision where to go was always such a ‘thing’. Not anymore and now she makes sure we book early to avoid missing out because all the good restaurants get booked up fast during the festive season. I’m still having trouble getting my head around the fact that the festive season will soon be upon us. Holy guacamole! Wednesday I had totally forgotten about Educator’s Day but our kind director didn’t. She surprised us with some treats and kind words. I picked out this cute notebook, a couple of chocolates (I’ve eaten more than a couple since Wednesday!) and a pen that says Outdream Yourself. I love a pen with a boost of inspiration. A kind mum brought us some Lebanese pizzas and they were delicious! We also received a box of chocolates from another parent, along with a lovely note that really meant a lot to us. Thursday I got some Barramundi for dinner from Woolworths, and I also picked up garlic, herb, and butter from them. Woolworths gives these for free when you buy fresh protein, which makes the fish delicious and my life easier! Friday I came across this piece of wisdom on Instagram and used Canva to create my own graphic based on it. It’s true, isn’t it? Life is too short and I need to remember this more often. I’m off to get ready for dinner with my lovely work colleagues. They’re a fun bunch, and I’m looking forward to actually having a proper conversation for once! Even though we work together, we never get a chance to chat—let’s just say the kids at preschool keep us very busy! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to being back on Monday. See ya! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

Hey everyone! I’m so happy to welcome Friday back today—are you the same? It always feels like Friday is an eternity away when the alarm goes off on Monday morning, but then the week flies by so fast! And here we are again, ready to share a recap of the week and some favourites that make life más bueno. Thanks so much for being here! It’s always a great start to the week when our favourite casual teacher comes to work—and it’s not just because she brings us snacks! That super germ that took me down also hit two of our usual lovely staff members. Thankfully, we were all back by the end of the week. Our energy levels are still a bit low as we recover, but I think we’re all on the mend. I made our favourite guacamole for our Tuesday night burrito bowls. Along with some Mexican Street Corn Salad. My family loves some Mexican food on a Tuesday or any other day of the week too! Our preschool children went on a Book Week parade excursion to a local primary school. As expected, the kids were extra excited and couldn’t wait for the bus ride. I think that’s always the highlight of any excursion! It makes me wonder if we should just hire a bus and go round and round—maybe the kids would even fall asleep, haha. The school entrance was all colourfully decorated. The children watched as each grade took turns parading their costumes around the playground. When it was our turn they had a blast high-fiving the big school kids as they walked around. It was very cute! The school provided us with a delicious morning tea of sandwiches and cupcakes. We were famished and everything was so tasty—it was practically all gone in 60 seconds! As fun as excursions are for the kids, it’s always a relief when we’re all safely back on the bus and everyone is accounted for. My group was the first on the bus, so we got the back seats to ourselves. Hooray, we made it! I’ve discovered Oust, and I love the smell. It’s much nicer than Glen 20, which has such a strong scent that you can even taste it in the back of your throat after spraying. The only downside is that I can’t find Oust at the regular supermarket. I have to order it online from Officeworks and do click and collect to avoid paying postage, which costs as much as a can. Onto some cleaning products. I’ve found a simple way to cut down on plastic packaging: Bath and Shower refills. It’s a great way to reuse the bottles you already have instead of buying new ones all the time. Plus, it’s better for the planet and my wallet. Win-win! Same thing with this laundry refill. I never buy frozen yoghurt, but a few online shopping deliveries ago, I ended up with part of someone else’s order. They have great taste—we all tried it and loved it. Once we finish this small tub, we’ll definitely be buying it again. It’s perfect with pancakes because it’s lighter than ice cream and has a delicious, mild coconut flavour. If you love berries and coconut, this one’s a winner! It has been incredibly windy the last few days. The other day, when I was walking home from work, the wind was so strong it gave me a huge shove. I pushed on and got home safely, but there were branches and debris scattered everywhere. I was a bit freaked out about the possibility of a branch or tree falling on me, especially since a huge tree came down at the end of my street on a windy day a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, no one was hurt and no property was damaged because that was one huge tree! CPR training on Thursday wasn’t exactly my favourite, especially after a long day at work. But the trainer was really nice, and we only had to do a one-hour yearly refresher course. So we were finished by 5 pm. And that was my week, thanks for catching up with me! I hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead, and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Linking up with Andrea and Erika  

Hi friends! I can smell spring in the air today, and when you combine that with a Friday and a day off work, it’s looking like a pretty fantastic start to my three-day weekend! I’m just popping in quickly to say hi and share some photos I took recently that have me excited for spring. I’ve been counting down since the first day of winter and now there are only 15 more days until the 1st of September. Yippee! I snapped this photo at 5:45 when we went out for a walk on Tuesday. Look, it’s not completely dark at this time anymore! This gorgeous rose seemed to appear out of nowhere and I spotted it in our front garden when I came home from work the other day. We went for a walk in the sunshine and spotted even more colourful flowers along the way. Spring, I love you so much! Tonight, I’m taking Steve out to dinner at a surprise location. Tomorrow night, we’re having a combined Cousin Connect and birthday celebration for Steve since it’s his actual birthday. After some wonderfully low-key weekends, it’s time to celebrate and make the most of this one. I’m excited! Thanks so much for being here today and I hope you have an amazing weekend. I look forward to being back here on Monday! Happy Friday and happy weekend!! Linking up with Andrea and Erika  

Hi friends! It’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some recent favourites. Well, it was back to work for me on Monday. Even though I had an amazing break, when Monday morning rolled around, it sure felt like it had gone by in a flash. Fun, relaxing times always seem to go by so fast! I shouldn’t complain because my winter school holidays were pretty terrific. I got quite a lot of things done around the house that I wanted to do. Things like painting and reorganising which I never have much time for when I’m at work. Plus, I spent time with friends and family and a fun time away in Gosford was also a highlight. Our first day back at work was a pupil-free day. We started the morning with a team meeting, followed by morning tea—fruit bun, strawberries, and blueberries, compliments of the preschool. Then it was time for a workshop called “Understanding Yourself and Others.” This session was all about getting to know different personality styles and how these differences can either lead to conflicts or foster cooperation. We also did a personality self-assessment, which was very insightful and reminded me of all those quizzes I loved as a teen from “Dolly” and “Cosmopolitan” – “Are You His Type, Take This Quiz and Find Out! We also explored practical ways to encourage respectful communication and teamwork.  And it was honestly one of the most interesting workshops I’ve ever attended. I’ve been to so many that are a sure cure for insomnia, but I was wide awake for this one and learned so much. After the workshop, it was time for lunch, again kindly provided by the preschool. We had delicious BBQ chicken with salad, pickles, and chips. I added a big dollop of garlic sauce—enough to keep the vampires away for the rest of the year! I’m back to walking to and from work, and it feels great. It’s definitely a huge favourite. Another big bonus this week has been the amazing weather. With temps hitting as high as 23ºC, it almost felt like spring on Thursday and Friday. I’m so excited that soon we’ll only have one more month of winter, then it will be spring, and all will be right with my world again. I’m so happy with my SILVTJÄRN glass jar from IKEA (I wish I spoke Swedish). I swapped out the pineapple container that you can see at the back of the photo. I used to keep my hoop earrings and a few bracelets inside the pineapple container, but I never loved it as it looked a bit odd on my dressing table. I’m much happier with this new container; I think it looks much nicer. It was only $8.00! My lovely cousin flew in from her holiday in Switzerland, and her mum picked her up from the airport so they could join us for our Cousin Connect Christmas in July. Since it was her birthday while she was away, we had a surprise birthday cake waiting for her. My aunt baked it, and doesn’t it look nice with the macarons on top? Another recent favourite is dessert! It’s a special treat since we don’t often have dessert, but this week, I made caramel bananas for Wednesday night. We’re all still enjoying homemade garlic bread over here.  I’ve been buying bread from the fruit shop near my place and making my own garlic butter. It’s a bit of extra work, but it tastes great, and I split it in half and freeze it for later—win/win! I used to steam my zucchini because, you know, we need to eat veggies for health. But they never tasted great. These days, I roast them in the oven and sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top. Mwah! Delicious! Even though the days have been warmer, the evenings are still cold. Dunking these almond biscuits from IKEA in my steamy cup of tea is a winner! Olive oil is so expensive right now! The European heatwave and drought have sent prices through the roof due to a significant drop in production. We use a lot of olive oil, so I was excited to find this bottle at a slight discount. My mum always used to say, “Use all your special things whenever you can and don’t save them only for a special occasion.” I love this thinking and try to follow it. So yesterday, I pulled out this Corningware that my mum and I brought back from our visit to see my uncle in New York way back in 1984. We carried the set as part of our hand luggage, and I still don’t know how we managed it—it’s so heavy! But back then, this Corningware wasn’t readily available here in Australia, and it was quite the sensation at our dinner gatherings. Fast forward to yesterday, and I used the big dish to make a pot roast. I had heard a while ago that this set was going for thousands, and I didn’t think much of it. I just Googled it, and— no way, that can’t be right, can it?   By the way, the pot roast turned out delicious, but it made a bit of a mess of the dish. Don’t worry—it came out perfectly clean in the dishwasher. Now I’m wondering if we might be sitting on a gold mine. Who on earth would pay so much for a Corningware set? Seriously?? That’s a whole lot of trips to Disneyland! Hmmm… On that note, I’m going to list my Corningware on eBay – just kidding! I’m having a shower and getting ready to go out for dinner. Hooray for the weekend!! Happy Friday, and thank you so much for stopping by!              

Hey friends! It’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some favourites! I can’t believe how fast the week has flown by, taking the first week of my holidays with it! But I can’t complain because it really was a good one! First up, I got to hang out with my lovely friend and spend a day shopping at Chatswood with her on Monday. What a brilliant way to start the winter school holidays! We work at the same preschool, but we don’t get much of a chance to talk during the week because we’re always so busy! As soon as we got out of the train station, we looked for a place to have brunch and found a little café inside Westfield. We did wander around for a while like two lost sheep because Chatswood shopping centre is so huge and neither of us visits often. We both had smashed avocado on sourdough with poached eggs, and I forgot to ask for no chilli! Luckily, it wasn’t too spicy. I moved all the chilli bits to the side of my plate just to be safe (chilli be gone!). Phew! It was actually one of the nicest smashed avocados I’ve ever had. It came with an avocado dressing that had a delicious flavour. I bought my favourite concealer because I had run out and concealer is my best friend these days. Steve had manipulation therapy on his leg on Wednesday. I waited for hours at the hospital cafe and caught up on reading blogs. I could have gone home because the hospital is a five-minute drive from home. But I didn’t mind waiting. I also went for a walk around the block and it was a nice sunny day. The good news is that all went well and Steve wasn’t in much pain afterwards. Now he’s on a mission to improve his walking. After 13 years of walking with a limp, it has become a habit, and he can’t shake the protective walking technique. So he’s retraining his brain to walk without limping. Now that I’m off from work, I’m his walking coach. I emptied out our small walk-in wardrobe and painted it. I’m feeling so good that I got onto this task this week and didn’t leave it until the next. It’s amazing how much stuff we had and how much stuff I have bundled together to give to charity. Prepping for a paint job is not a favourite but I did find two Kit Kats while I was gathering my paint supplies. One of the fun things about pulling everything out and going through boxes is finding treasures like my Lulu doll. Ha! I’ve had her since I was five and I love her so much. She’s lost her hair ( she used to have two plaits) and she’s wearing one of my creations I sewed for her when I was about ten. I also found Snoopy who always has trouble keeping his jeans up! My uncle gave me this Snoopy when I was about nine. Then there are the photos!! Don’t laugh, ok go ahead and laugh, I sure did!! This is what I had to wear to my cousin’s ex-wife’s second wedding. We were super close, and even though she divorced my cousin, she wanted me to be her bridesmaid. I remember not loving the huge outfit she chose for me. Can you believe that even though it was the 80s, those sleeves were not a criminal offence? Here is the finished closet. I went to Ikea and Kmart and bought clothes hangers, shoe boxes, and other storage boxes. I have another closet in the spare room where I keep my clothes, and this one is mainly for Steve’s clothes. I’m so happy with how it turned out because the shelves, walls and ceiling needed a big refresh! I’m excited for this weekend! Steve and I are going away to Gosford for a couple of days. It will be fun to get away for a short trip. I’m not sure when I’ll be back here next week, as I might take a little break. But then again, I may not—I’ll see how it goes. I hope you all have an amazing weekend and thank you so much for stopping by!    

Hi friends, and welcome to Friday Favourites! As usual, the week has just flown by, and here we are again, ready to share some favourites. I’m so happy you’ve stopped by today—thank you for reading along! I always think the last week of term is my favourite because everyone is in high spirits, counting down the days until the holiday break. Well, the staff are, maybe not so much some of the preschool parents. We’ve had a few groans and comments like, “Oh no! Two weeks!!” Haha, yes sir, two weeks indeed! Backtracking to Monday night, we caught up with our friends for our monthly dinner catch-up. We didn’t join our group for the June dinner because Steve had only just had knee surgery. Six weeks post-surgery he is much more mobile and now walking with one crutch. Steve ordered the Laksa and shared some with me. It was full of flavour but too spicy for me! It was too spicy for him too, but he battled through the watery eyes and runny nose—good for clearing the sinuses! I ordered the safe grilled chicken burger. My English friend with amazing Greek cooking skills shared some cheese and pickle-flavoured chips with me. They were good! Hooray! My passport arrived by registered post! Thursday was s mix of favourite and not-so-favourite moments. We went to see the knee surgeon for another follow-up appointment and we didn’t get the best news. Even though Steve is much more mobile and he is making progress. The doc isn’t happy with the range of motion in Steve’s knee. So it’s back to the hospital next Wednesday for a quick but painful-sounding procedure. Steve’s having manipulation therapy where the doctor will bend his knee and break the scar tissue (ouch! My eyes are watering just thinking about this). He will have this done under a light anaesthetic and should be home within a few hours. Hmph! When we got home from seeing the doctor, we were both a bit down and took a minute to process the news. Steve is much better at focusing on the moment; I’m usually seven days ahead and imagining the worst! I didn’t want to be a downer, so I shook off my worries and put on my big girl pants. Ha! I’m not even the one having the procedure, and Steve was comforting me! I just want him to be well… fast!! Luckily, we had tickets to see Boney M at the Enmore Theatre that night, which helped take our minds off things. Before the concert, we had dinner at a Thai place just four doors down from the theatre. Enmore was so busy that night! The restaurants and pubs were packed, and everyone seemed to be having the best time. I was surprised by how lively it was for a cold winter weeknight. We shared a mixed entree and a super mild beef curry. Then it was showtime! We had seats, but I was on the dance floor in a flash with Steve’s blessing. He knew there was no way I could just sit and watch! Even though dancing isn’t his thing, he would have joined me if it weren’t for his knee. Oh my goodness, what a performance! Boney M. was amazing, and dancing along to all the disco favourites I grew up hearing was surreal! Their original performer, Maizie Williams, was there that night, and you would never guess she’s 73 years old! I want to be just like Maizie when I grow up and groove to disco for as long as I can! And that was the week! I’m keeping it short and sweet because I have to jump off and get ready to go out with my work buddies to celebrate the end of the term. I hope you have an amazing weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika   

Hi friends, it’s time to share some of my favourite things for this week! I hope you all had a good one. Didn’t this week just zoom by in a flash? But that’s okay because now we can welcome back the weekend—Amen! This week started off cold and gloomy. The clouds and wet, rainy weather lingered on after a very wet weekend. It’s hard to feel upbeat when the weather is like that. But thankfully, things shifted, and by the end of the week, the sun was shining brightly again. Yes, it was cold, but it was warm in the sun, and seeing the blue skies always makes everything so much better! Sunny days are my favourite! When I walked into the kitchen this morning and saw the sun shining brightly, I knew instantly that it was going to be a good day! Then as I walked to work, even though it was extremely chilly, the clear blue skies and golden sunshine made me happy. I’ll have to keep this moment in mind because I checked the forecast, and yes, it will be raining all of next week. Sigh! Speaking of walking to work, well, I haven’t done as much of it as I’d like lately. My husband is home, which means the car is home, and that in turn means I’ve given in and driven to work. Aaaargh!! My goal for next week is to pretend the car isn’t available and walk! I love walking, and I feel so much better on the days that I do. Funny story though, the other day I forgot that I had walked, and when I left work, I was looking for my car. For a second, I thought, “Oh no, it’s been stolen!” Ha, who would want to steal such a teeny tiny Suzuki? It took me a little while to realise that, duh, the car was at home! Anyway back to more favourites. This olive sourdough is the best and that’s probably why it’s usually sold out by the time I get to the fruit shop after work. But I got lucky this week and I nabbed the last loaf. I’m not much of a breakfast eater during the week. But on the weekends, I do enjoy a very late breakfast. The other day, I was craving porridge, so I bought these sachets. They are easy to make and deliciously creamy. Healthy too, if you ignore the amount of brown sugar I added… shhh. This raisin toast is my favourite. These mini flakes are for me but everyone at home thinks I like to share. Washed and ready-to-grab fruit is a favourite of mine. Whenever I get my grocery order, I make sure to wash everything to save the hassle of doing it later. Good looking fruit, huh? I always feel like I’m winning whenever I need cream for a recipe and I have the long-life version in the cupboard! The other night I made Mexican street corn salad to go with our nachos. It’s so crunchy, cheesy and zesty. It’s full of our family’s favourite ingredients like corn, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, mayonnaise and red onion. This made me laugh and I couldn’t agree more! Hahaha! Here’s hoping the weekend goes by real slow. Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Linking up with Andrea and Erika        

Hello friends and happy Friday! It’s great to be here to share some Friday favourites, thanks so much for stopping by! It’s been so cold! I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll keep saying it until the first day of spring—I’m NOT a fan! Haha. I need to keep reminding myself that at least it’s not as cold as it is in many other parts of the world. Plus, there’s always delicious comfort food to enjoy! I shared on Monday that I made some yummy ramen over the weekend. I made enough for leftovers, so we had some for lunch the next day. Soup in winter is the best and I love it; it’s comforting, filling, and healthy. I added delicious veggies like shredded carrots, wombok cabbage, spring onions, coriander, bean sprouts, and celery. I also included chopped garlic and ginger to boost our immunity and help fight off any nasty colds. So far, so good—none of us have been sick yet (but now that I’ve said that, you know what might happen!). Anyway, fingers crossed we stay healthy this winter. I love the vibrant colours of fresh vegetables and enjoy taking photos of them! I’ve got a bunch of fruit and vegetable photos on my camera roll. I once watched a movie about a couple who got divorced, partly because the wife was always taking photos of vegetables. The husband found it so annoying for some reason. Hahaha! Maybe I need to be careful! Lots of my Friday favourites are food related and this week is no exception. I made a zucchini slice the other day and tweaked the recipe to make it better. I’ve made zucchini slices in the past that have turned out meh. So this time instead of adding the onion and the bacon to the mix raw, I cooked them first. I also added garlic and parmesan cheese and it was a winner! It was exciting to boil eggs exactly how I like them—a bit soft in the middle. I’ve finally learned how to time them just right—you set a timer instead of just hoping for the best, as I always did. That makes sense, right? Some of this week’s favourite dinners include baked barramundi with garlic and lemon juice. Chicken stir fry with noodles and crunchy cashews. Even this girl is feeling the cold and is always looking for someone at home she can curl up with. This notebook contains my brain. I’ve increasingly become Mrs. Forgetful (is it age, being too busy, or wine…who knows!). Anyway, I am now writing down everything I need to remember. Siri helps me too, but I love this notebook because it’s tangible and always there when I need it—if I can remember where I’ve put it. I also use it to write down meals that have turned out well. I don’t follow recipes and sometimes get creative, adding this or that. Or I may change things, like I did with the zucchini slice. But then, the next time I make the same dish, I often forget what I did to improve it. This way, I have a record of my successful tweaks and can recreate those dishes. Yay! Aha! We got good news when Steve saw the knee surgeon on Wednesday. Last week, we were both a bit down after the appointment because the surgeon was still unhappy with how the knee was healing and wanted us to come in again this week. He even said scary things like, “If it doesn’t heal, then we’ll have to go in surgically and wash out any infection.” Yikes! Turns out there wasn’t any infection in the actual wound, which was a huge relief. The surgeon took the time to explain (properly this time; last time he rushed us out the door) that Steve had a severe allergic reaction to the glue they used, causing the skin on his knee to burn. So, it looked like an ulcer, but it wasn’t. I’ve found that sometimes doctors may overlook the importance of thoroughly explaining things to patients. Anyway, we are very happy that things are okay and on track! After the doctor’s appointment, I dropped Steve off at home and went to get some more pain meds from the pharmacy. I got a bit sidetracked when one of my favourite clothes shops was calling me! I went in, tried on a couple of things, and couldn’t resist buying yet another sleeveless black top. It met my rule: I won’t buy it unless I love it. Maybe I should add another rule: avoid stepping into clothing stores altogether! But nah, I love clothes too much, and I try to avoid impulse buys. Look at how well this plant is growing! It used to live in the bathroom and looked sad and small. So, I relocated it to the sunny kitchen window, and now it’s flourishing. Happy, flourishing plants are a big favourite for this reformed plant assassin. That wraps up some favourites! I’m going to thaw out my right hand, which feels frozen from typing, and then get moving to cook dinner. It’s so cold!! I hope you all have a great weekend, and if you’re enjoying the sun in the northern hemisphere, please catch some rays for me! Everyone else, stay warm!! Linking up with Andrea and Erika