Friday Favourites

recap of the week post

Recap Of The Week

Hi friends welcome to Friday favourites! It’s great to be back again linking up with Andrea and Erika for a recap of the week and to share some favourites. So let’s get started Monday Monday was a pretty good start to the working week. I felt tired after a long day but I was happy that it was one of those very busy but satisfying days. We had a pretty good day at preschool and I think we have finally hit that time of the year where I can actually see that the children have made so much progress. Even the ones that have needed that extra bit of patience and attention are getting the hang of things. By now we also know their unique little personalities and can understand their needs so much better than earlier in the year. I think it’s taken longer for our groups to settle this year. It kind of makes me wonder if it’s because of COVID. Two years ago, these little ones were stuck at home in a bit of a bubble. So who knows? But I sure am glad to see progress even if it seems to have taken longer than in previous years. Tuesday Tuesday was Talk Like A Pirate Day at preschool so we organised some fun craft activities around this. The kids made pirate hats and eye patches. We also had a treasure hunt and learnt some pirate language. ARRR! Wednesday I worked a half day because I had my last follow-up appointment with the thyroid surgeon. He was very happy with how everything had progressed. My voice is now back to normal, it was a bit croaky for a long time. My scar is also slowly fading. He reminded me to apply sunscreen, especially now that the days are getting so warm. Luckily I have been doing this every day as part of my quick morning makeup routine. I was happy that I got a chance to thank him and his amazing surgical assistant. Before the operation, they spent so much time talking me through the steps and reassuring me. I know that they must perform hundreds of these operations. But they honestly made me feel as if I was the first person in the whole world to have a thyroidectomy. This was my last appointment with the surgeon and I have now been officially discharged, bringing this chapter to an end. It sure does feel fantastic! Grocery Shopping After the appointment, I went to Aldi to buy their boneless spiced mango chicken. It’s the best and I love it because it’s not spicy at all. The chicken comes marinated in a deliciously sweet but not too sweet marinade. Best of all it’s boneless and it makes a fantastic easy meal for a busy week night. I can’t get it anywhere else and I don’t go supermarket shopping very often anymore because I usually order online from Woolworths. So It was a nice change to browse up and down the aisles and look at the special buys. In the end, I filled up my trolley with some old favourites and I did an unexpected mini grocery shop. It seems that I can never leave a supermarket with just one item! Wine Time After my appointment and a visit to Aldi, I got home earlier than I typically would have on a regular workday. Just as I got home. I saw the delivery guy dropping off our box of wine. Ha, perfect timing! Every three months we get a surprise selection of wines from different parts of Australia through a company called Naked Wines. Date Night At Home Steve and I had a date night at home that evening and enjoyed a cheese platter and some wine from the perfectly timed delivery. We have both been very good about staying away from too many snacks. So this was a nice treat! Later that evening, we decided to watch a movie and I chose ‘Max Payne’ because it stars Mark Wahlberg and we like his movies. But this one was a real disappointment. We even gave it a good forty minutes hoping to like it but in the end, we gave up. The plot was weird, it made no sense and the characters were unlikeable. So we went back to another episode of Blue Bloods before we went to bed and that was much more satisfying. Thursday It was a warm morning and then it got so cold in the afternoon. It was a bit of a shock but I guess that’s spring weather for you. Luckily I am now remembering to wear layers. I spent the beginning of the week peeling off my layers as the day got warmer. But on Thursday I spent the afternoon putting on layers as it got colder. In the end, I was wearing my thick winter jacket in the preschool playground. And I was so thankful that I hadn’t taken it home but chosen to leave it at work, just in case the weather turned cold again. which of course it did! Friday Today it felt like winter all over again because it was so cold and windy in the preschool playground. But a couple of my lovely fun coworkers brought some end-of-term treats to share. Food is the key to my heart and it made my day! We were rushing around in the afternoon making sure that we packed and put away all the equipment, toys and bits and pieces. The race was on to leave work and start the end-of-term school holidays! Yes, I am now off from work for two glorious weeks and I am so excited! We don’t have any travel plans but I have a few fun activities lined up. Most of all I’m just so ecstatic about not having to wake up to the sound of the alarm yelling at me! That brings me to the end of my recap of the week. Now I’m off

Recap Of The Week Read More »

A Week of Ups and Downs

Hey there friends welcome to this week’s Friday favourites! I hope you all had a great week and are ready to welcome the weekend with wide open arms! I know I sure am because, to be honest, this week wasn’t really a big favourite. It was full of ups and downs, but I guess life is like that, right? Anyway, I sure am glad you are here today! Thanks so much for stopping by and joining me as I share a bit about my week. Monday The week started off promising. I was all motivated in the kitchen on the weekend and I made a silverbeet, feta and ricotta pie for Monday. Over the weekend I also managed to get on top of some preschool work that had been hanging over my head. I felt a huge relief to get that over and done with. Getting the work done on the weekend meant that I wouldn’t be scrambling during the week. There is just never enough time during busy preschool days. Then Monday was just an ordinary day at preschool until I started to come down with some kind of tummy bug during the afternoon and by the time I got home…..well you get the picture! So I took Tuesday and Wednesday off from work. Wednesday Wednesday turned out to be the worst day of the week because my aunt and cousins lost their beloved dog, Leo. For the past two weeks he had been battling with illness and my aunt had to take him for multiple visits to the vet for treatment. On Monday Leo wasn’t himself, he was lethargic and off his food. Then he really seemed to perk up on Tuesday night, he ate and seemed to be doing better. We were all relieved and hopeful that the antibiotics he was prescribed were doing the trick. So it was such a shock when he passed away during the night. Steve and I raced over to my aunt’s house when she rang, distressed and upset after she found poor Leo on Wednesday morning. We helped her to take Leo to the vet where he will be cremated. My cousins are holidaying in Europe at the moment and so they were on video call. Well, you can imagine how upset they were and it just about broke my heart hearing them say goodbye to their beloved Leo over the video call. Here is Leo the Belgian Shepard enjoying Christmas a couple of years ago. Stomach Troubles Part Two I didn’t eat much on Tuesday or most of Wednesday because of my upset stomach. It was just vegemite on toast and plain crackers for me. Then Wednesday night I was feeling better so I foolishly ate a normal meal for dinner. That turned out to be a huge mistake because it sent me right back to square one in my recovery… ugh. I did go to work on Thursday because I had no other symptoms and I went to see the doctor on Thursday afternoon. I was exhausted from Dr. Googling and stressing myself out. The real doctor recommended I give my stomach a 2 to 3-day rest and only eat plain things like toast, crackers and apple sauce. To be honest, by then I didn’t feel like eating anything because I was too afraid of the consequences! A Very Warm Spring Day The days are getting really warm now and I love that. However, I failed to take the advice of wearing layers when transitioning from winter to spring and wore all the wrong clothes to work on Thursday. I wore my long-sleeved top, thick winter pants, socks and winter shoes. It was really cool in the morning but as the day went on it got so warm. By the afternoon I was so hot and uncomfortable that I rolled the legs of my pants up to my knees. It was lucky that it was just the kids and my coworkers around because it wasn’t my best fashion moment. But at least my legs cooled down a bit. Kids Are So Funny! During my lunch break my funny colleague had us in stitches telling us about one of the preschoolers in her class and his version of the song ” I’m a Barbie Girl”. He was singing it in the classroom and it went something like this… “I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world……..You can brush my hair and bash me with a chair” Hehe, I’m not sure which version is worse. This one or the original ?? News Crew Almost Came to Preschool On Friday morning our preschool was going to be on the news! There was a media announcement about Child and Development Checks the NSW government are introducing in 2024. These checks would be done within preschools aiming to to identify any concerns and offer support to children before they begin primary school. Our preschool had been selected as the venue to host this announcement. Anyway, we had known about this exciting event since the beginning of the week. Everybody was extra busy on Thursday afternoon, cleaning, tidying up and generally making sure that the preschool was ready. We had chased up all of the parents to sign not one but two consent forms. One from the preschool and one from the government. So it was kind of a big deal! We were all looking forward to hosting a TV crew, a journalist and government officials. We were even set to arrive at work a whole hour earlier than usual for a 7 a.m. start. I had picked out a decent-looking preschool outfit because there was no way I was going to be hitching my pants up to my knees in front of any camera crew! Then our director messaged us at 6:30 a.m. to say that the whole thing was cancelled because the government minister who was set to host the media release was sick. Pfft……what a letdown! Talk about highs and lows.

A Week of Ups and Downs Read More »

bright moments from my week

Bright Moments From My week

Hi there friends welcome to this week’s Friday Favourites. I sure am excited that it’s the weekend. The weekend always feels like a sweet reward for making it through the week’s ups and downs, don’t you agree? This week was just another typical week for me, with its fair share of work-related ‘stuff’. But even in the most mundane moments, I am learning to find the bright moments. One of the things that I absolutely love about blogging is that it’s like having a digital journal where I can reflect on the little things that brighten up my days. Because there are always favourites to find every week! So let’s take a peek at the things that made me happy even in the most ordinary moments. Bright Moments From My Week Educator’s Day It was Educator’s Day on Wednesday and our preschool director organised some cute gifts as tokens of appreciation. I thought that it was such a sweet gesture. Sam’s New Computer My son’s computer tower changes colour constantly. So every time I walk past his room it’s almost like a mini disco (without the music). Technology sure is fun these days! Botanica Air Freshener It’s no secret that I am constantly finding ways to make my home smell amazing. So I’m very excited about this delicious-smelling room spray. It has pomegranate and bergamot and the combination leaves a lovely subtle lingering scent. And it instantly freshens up my living space. Lime Cordial As the weather is getting warmer I find that I am craving cool refreshing drinks more and more. So a splash of  Bickford’s Lime cordial mixed with soda water and ice is perfect. Body Yoghurt Ha, body yoghurt, the name sounds funny to me. Anyway, I have been loving this British rose-scent body yoghurt from The Body Shop. I think maybe the change in season is making my skin feel super dry and itchy. So I have been applying this to my arms and legs after I shower and it makes my skin feel so much better. I also love that the scent is nice and subtle. I have this thing about scents, they need to be subtle or my nose can’t handle them! Oat Milk I really enjoy my coffee with oat milk and the other day I ordered this one in a funny-looking carton. It tastes great and best of all it was half price (which is the reason why I bought it). It’s funny how sometimes little things like quirky packaging can boost your day. Laundry Bucket I know this might sound nuts but I really love the laundry bucket that I bought from one of my favourite stores, Muji. One of the things that I love about it is that it is a neutral colour so it blends in with everything in the laundry. And the other thing that I love about it is that it comes with a lid. So when I have my dishcloths soaking in there. It stops my little cat from drinking the water. I give her fresh water every morning so I don’t understand why she likes to drink water with detergent and soaking dishcloths. Yuck! Water Bottles I have some blue bottles that I use as water containers and they honestly make the water taste so good. I’m not kidding! Even visitors have commented on how delicious the water tastes from the blue bottles. They were originally vodka bottles so maybe they have some magic. First Aid Training Thursday we all had to stay back after work until 7.30 pm to update our First Aid training. You can imagine that after a long day at work, it was just so hard to push on. So this was not a favourite for this week. But during the training, I sat between my two work buddies who always make me laugh and make even long days so much brighter. And now that the training is over it means that we don’t have to sacrifice a day during the holidays to get it done. So that definitely is a huge favourite! Spring The biggest favourite for the week is knowing that it’s spring! And here are a few happy spring pics I snapped while I was walking to work. And that’s all for today friends – a few bright moments that made my regular week a bit more special. Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favourites.  

Bright Moments From My week Read More »

My Favourite Month!

Hello September! Ahhhh my favourite month is finally here and I can hardly contain my excitement! I’m practically channelling my inner Maria from The Sound of Music and ready to twirl a mountain top. Because friends, the hills really do feel alive! So let’s kick off this week’s Friday favourites by talking about my favourite month, a few other favourites and of course my favourite season-spring!! Now, I know some folks might be gearing up for pumpkin spice lattes in other parts of the world, but down here in the southern hemisphere, we’re rolling out the floral carpet and embracing the magic of spring! 1 I love seeing the pretty flowers coming alive in the front garden. I also get excited seeing the kaleidoscope of colours in other people’s front gardens as I walk to and from work. 2 September has only just begun, but I’m already loving the longer days – no more pitch-black mornings as I roll out of bed. And I’m just so excited that I can enjoy more than just a mere half hour of daylight after work. September, you give me so many reasons to love you!! 3 On Tuesday my special friend surprised me with this beautiful gift. A gorgeous Snoopy Halloween mug! Isn’t it just the cutest? I love how September marks the beginning of some fun celebrations and the shops begin to sell Halloween decorations and goodies. 4 Onto some other favourites for this week, these brioche buns were amazing! I mentioned on Wednesday that I ordered hamburger buns. But they were substituted with these instead when I got my grocery order delivered. So I made pulled pork and coleslaw rolls. The change of menu plan was a real winner! 5 We have been making healthier snack choices over here because my husband is on a mission to lose weight. So I have stopped buying chips and dips. Instead, we have been snacking on things like dark chocolate, nuts and fruit. And we have been careful with the amount of healthy snacks we eat too because you know….calories. I’m being very supportive but I don’t know how long I can last before I make a sneaky solo trip to McDonalds for a Big Mac, fries and a strawberry thick shake!! 6 A tidy and organised fridge is a big favourite that makes my heart sing. So I made sure to give the fridge a good clean before I put my groceries away. 7 I love these small avocados! They’re a perfect size because I can eat a whole one instead of eating half of a big one. And I don’t have to deal with the other half turning brown or potentially going to waste. 8 Honey in my tea or drizzled over creamy Greek yoghurt is my favourite. And let me tell you, this particular honey I bought from the farmers market is exquisite! 9 This week at preschool we have been busy making Father’s Day gifts for this Sunday. The kids used bold colours for their handprints. We asked them questions about their dads for their special cards and some of their answers were just downright funny! They also drew on special shrink paper to make unique keyring decorations.   And that about sums up my favourite things for this week! The weekend is here, and I’m excited. It’s time for some well-deserved fun and relaxation. I’m ready to make the most of it and I’m sure you guys are too! Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika  

My Favourite Month! Read More »

Friday favourites graphic

Friday Favourites

Hi there friends it’s great to be back to share some quick favourites. It’s been one of those super busy weeks that has left my head spinning. So even though it has been a really fun week I am excited that it’s the weekend. Because even fun things can be super exhausting! Food Favourites Monday night I made a chicken and snowpea stir fry. I didn’t use a recipe instead I just did what my mum used to do. She would add a splash of this and a sprinkle of that. My mum never followed recipes, she used to say she preferred her tastebuds to guide her. And clearly, her method worked because she was an amazing cook! On Tuesday I made a big spinach and ricotta lasagna. Making a generous portion was a real win because it meant that I didn’t have to worry about cooking dinner the next two nights. I’m lucky my family aren’t fussy eaters and we’re all happy to eat leftovers. In fact, I often joke that if I served rocks, they’d probably eat them too! Preschool Excursion On Wednesday our preschool went on an exciting excursion. Our local public school invited our preschool to join their costume parade for Book Week celebrations. The kids from both schools dressed up as their favourite book characters. It was such a fun and vibrant event and the anticipation was at an all-time high! This was because we hadn’t experienced an outing like this in three years due to the impact of COVID. The kids were so excited to be riding on the big purple bus! So many colourful costumes at the school. Our kids had a blast when it was their turn to parade their costumes in front of the big school kids. I loved seeing the older students giving high-fives to the little ones during the parade. It was a lively adventure! Our brief excursion had us back on the bus by around 11 o’clock, heading back to the preschool. The morning was packed with so much excitement that a few of the kids were starting to doze off – a sure sign of a day well spent! Counting and keeping our energetic bunch safe was a true mission and oh boy was I exhausted. The entire preschool team felt like we had squeezed two days of work into one! Staff Dinner Every term our parent committee kindly treats our preschool staff to a dinner out. This time we went to a Japanese restaurant and enjoyed some really delicious food. This entree looked pretty spectacular with those glowing chopsticks! It was a fun night eating and chatting with my work colleagues. Pretty Necklace I was bursting with excitement to finally wear my pretty layered silver necklaces, which I bought a few days before my thyroid surgery. After years of avoiding necklaces to downplay my growing nodule, I was so looking forward to the day when my nodule was gone and my scar was less visible. Wearing my necklaces to the staff dinner was a real highlight because it really made me appreciate how happy I am that I don’t have to worry about those thyroid nodules ever again!   And that’s a wrap, friends. It’s short and sweet today as I’m just about to run out the door to see a fun show at the State Theatre. !I’ll be sure to come back on Monday and tell you all about it. I hope you have an amazing weekend everyone! Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

Friday Favourites Read More »

Friday favourites

Highlights and Celebrations

Hi there friends! Can you believe it’s Friday already? The days seem to be flying by faster than I can catch my breath. It’s like I blinked and here we are at the end of the week ready to embrace the weekend. Although I have to admit that when that alarm went off on Monday morning- Friday sure felt like an eternity away! Anyway, it’s great to be here today for Friday favourites with Andrea and Erika to share some amazing highlights and celebrations from the week. 1 We kicked things off with an early low-key birthday celebration for my husband. Since he was working on Thursday evening (his actual birthday) we decided to celebrate last weekend. Sunday was all about a roast lamb dinner and a simple birthday cake. Luke and his partner came over and we had a nice Sunday afternoon/evening together. We got Steve a few presents, mainly clothes and this cute birthday card I bought on Amazon. It lights up when you open it and plays ‘Happy Birthday’. It was cute for about 5 seconds and after that, it was plain annoying! LOL! Then around 3 am Monday morning, I woke up suddenly because the darn birthday card had started playing music all on its own. Oh my gosh, it was so creepy getting out of bed in the dark to turn it off. I threw a book over it, ran back to bed and decided then and there that from now on I’m only ever going to buy plain birthday cards that aren’t possessed!! My not-so-favourite part of the week was a respiratory infection that had me homebound for a couple of days but I’m back on my feet and feeling better. Monday evening my chest felt so tight that it was hard for me to stop coughing. I rang my doctor and I was lucky to get the last appointment for the day. She put me on antibiotics straight away and by Wednesday I felt so much better. A quick turnaround like that sure is a favourite especially since I was really excited to go out somewhere to watch the women’s World Cup soccer semi-finals. 2 Steve and I went to a pub in Newtown to cheer on the Matildas. We got there early to make sure we got some good seats near the big screen and we enjoyed burgers and drinks before the game. It was such a fun night even though our team didn’t snag the win. England won with a score of 3-1 against Australia and now they are through to the finals. Good luck England! It’s been so fun to watch our nation’s spirit on fire as the Matildas progressed through the competition. You can read all about the excitement here. 3 A favourite highlight of my week was watching ‘The Breakfast Club’ with Sam. He wasn’t sure about it at first but he was hooked after the first 5 minutes. I mean how could you not be, it’s such a classic! What was interesting was that after watching The Breakfast Club all the references he had heard on modern shows suddenly made sense to him. I think every teen should get a taste of the 80s, it’s part of being well-rounded! 4 I have decided to try and incorporate a meatless meal into my week, and this time around I went for a flavourful and extremely mild ( I don’t do spicy!) chickpea curry. It’s a healthy, budget-friendly choice that’s also good for the planet. And best of all it got the thumbs up from my meat-loving family! 5 Spring is in the air and I’m getting excited! When I got home today I spotted these roses in my front garden. It’s like they sprung up overnight because I hadn’t noticed them before. And I’m pretty sure we have never had any of this colour in the past. Or have we?? 6 The last favourite that I have for this week is this delicious pack of French macarons. They had a crisp yet airy meringue shell and a soft luscious filling that melts in your mouth. So good! It sure has been a week of highlights and celebrations! And now here we are on the brink of another fabulous weekend. Thanks so much for joining me today, I always appreciate you guys stopping by. Happy Friday!  

Highlights and Celebrations Read More »

Friday favourites graphic

Friday Favourites

Hi there friends! It’s time for Friday favourites with Andrea and Erika and I’m so glad you’re here. I am super excited that it’s finally the weekend because it sure felt like a long week. I think that the reason why it felt so long was maybe because I had a bumpy start with Monday putting my resilience to the test. Working at preschool is always an adventure and when you throw in a rainy day. Well, you get the picture! Anyway, now it’s time to welcome the weekend and share some of this weeks favourites. 1 Monday night we caught up with a group of our friends and we went to the local RSL to enjoy a nice meal. We had finished eating and we were chatting when the women’s soccer game came on the big screen that was right in front of us. It was Australia versus Denmark and Australia won! It was fun watching the game together, cheering for our team and hearing the whole club go wild when the Aussies scored a goal. 2 This week I got a Mac desktop computer and I love it. The screen is so huge compared to my laptop! 3 This work truck has been parked on my street all week. I walk past it every day and it makes me smile because it reminds me of how much Sam loved Lightning McQueen when he was a toddler. He used to carry a little Lightning McQueen car in his hand all the time. We must have watched the movie a zillion times and I’m sure that back then I could probably recite the whole movie word for word! 4 Wednesday night Steve and I treated ourselves to a fabulous dinner. We both had lobster mornay, crunchy golden chips and salad. We decided to skip dessert and chose to go home and watch more Blue Bloods. Can you tell that we are so addicted? I popped the cork on a nice bottle of red wine from California. It’s been ages since I’ve used a corkscrew as most wines now seem to come with a screwtop lid. We enjoyed a glass (or two) while savouring the rich flavours of Lindt dark chocolate. What an amazing combination and surely it must count as a healthy treat with all those antioxidants in the red wine and dark chocolate! 5 Thursday night I nearly stayed home and skipped bible study because I felt so tired. But I’m glad that I went because it was super encouraging and challenging. This term we are looking at a book called ‘The Generosity Project’. This weeks study was all about how we can be generous with our time and efforts towards those people in our lives who are less than pleasant to be around. And that’s a wrap! I’m keeping it short and sweet today but I want to say a big thank you for stopping by to read about a few favourites from the week. I have some fun things planned for the weekend but I’m also looking forward to some relaxing downtime. And I feel like I could really use a fresh start and recharge. I didn’t blog as much as I wanted to and I got all confused with the timing of a couple of link ups. This is what happens when I miss writing my monthly plan. See here – it’s empty! Normally I write down all of the posts that I plan to write for the month. But somehow I missed August so one of my weekend goals is to get back on track. Better late than never! Hopefully I will post more often next week. I hope you have an amazing weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday and happy weekend!

Friday Favourites Read More »

fabulous Friday faves

Fabulous Friday Faves

Hey there friends! It’s Friday, and you know what that means? Yes, it’s time for another edition of Friday favourites. This week’s list is all about some things that have brought me joy. So please grab a cup or glass of your favourite drink, sit back and let’s jump into this week’s fabulous Friday faves. 1 First up, here is my cousin’s little bundle of cuteness. I saw her when I went to my aunt’s place for dinner the other night. She gets nervous around people she’s not used to. So I gently stroked her with my finger because she’s still so tiny at eight months old. It was a cold night so a warm jumper was a must! 2 I adore frothy coffees and the frothier the better! 3 I went to the city with my lovely friend last weekend. We caught the train and got off at Museum Station. Museum Station in Sydney is a heritage-listed underground commuter rail station. It’s located in the central business district of Sydney and it’s an absolute gem. This charming underground station is a unique blend of history with a contemporary vibe. It has a stunning architectural design that beautifully showcases the station’s heritage. When I’m there, I feel as if I’ve stepped back in time! I love going to the city and the walk along Hyde Park is really pretty. Especially on a sunny and warm winter’s day! 4 Exploring the city of Sydney always brings me joy! We discovered a little mall in a hidden alleyway off George St. I had never been there before but I can’t wait to go back again and try some of the food from the delicious-looking eateries. Sydney is such a fantastic multicultural hub with incredible food from all around the world. 5 Eating delicious takeaway seafood pasta and watching TV was a big favourite this week. 6 Ice cream and Hershey’s strawberry syrup with a few walnuts to keep things healthy ha! 7 My friend Marianne invited us over for dinner on Wednesday night and she made my favourite spaghetti bolognese! For dessert, we had a very delicious and saucy chocolate pudding with fresh strawberries and ice cream. It was so fun to get together midweek but I had to keep reminding myself that even though it felt like a Friday night, it wasn’t! 8 We used to have regular chairs in the staff room/kitchen at work but this week we got some office chairs with wheels. The space is really small and now I don’t even need to get up off my office chair during my lunch break. I just wheel myself around from my laptop to the sink, microwave or back door if someone knocks from the adjoining playground. I know this sounds lazy but when you are on your feet all day. Wheeling around during my lunch break is kind of really fun and it means I can stay sitting! 9 Sesame snaps, yum! My work friend who spoils me with treats brought me a packet. 10 Even though it’s not the healthiest option, I prefer soft drinks with real sugar. My family like no-sugar options but I’m not a fan of the aftertaste. Give me my regular old favourite sugar-filled Schweppes lemonade any day! When I smell the nice laundry liquid on my freshly washed clothes, it brings me so much joy! I love catching the scent as I fold the laundry. Do you guys feel the same? I used to use fabric softener but I’ve heard that it can damage your washing machine so I stopped. I have been on the hunt for a nice-smelling laundry liquid without much luck. Until I bought these laundry capsules at Woolworths the other day. They really do leave my clothes smelling so nice! This week has been amazing! The weather has been warm and sunny, like spring in winter. At preschool, I got to team up with two of my favourite people, making it a great and enjoyable week overall. It’s been so much fun and I think that one of the things that I love about working at preschool is that we can be playful and silly! On Tuesday we did a conga line with the kids and we danced all around the two classrooms. Today we danced to the Macarena and the YMCA. It really has been a fantastic week but I sure am glad that it’s Friday because I’m beat! Have a great weekend friends and Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Fabulous Friday Faves Read More »

a few quick favourites and favourites recap

A Few Quick Favourites

Hi there everyone! It’s so great to welcome back Friday, isn’t it? I have a few quick favourites from the week that I wanted to share with you. It’s Friday afternoon over here and my aunt texted me not long ago inviting me over for dinner. Impromptu dinner invitations are a huge favourite. And as if I wasn’t already excited about Friday, the invitation from her just took my excitement to the next level! So let’s jump right into some quick favourites before I dash off to get ready! Warm Winter Days It feels like early spring over here and I’m loving it. The last few days we have had very cold mornings (by our standards anyway) and then warm afternoons. We have even reached temps of around 23°C. This is pretty unusual as July is typically a cold month for us. Delicious Snacks This week my friend who has joined our team at preschool on a casual basis has brought some snacks to share with me at work. I already love working with her as she is so fun to be around and to top it off she brings me food. I couldn’t love her more!! These seaweed snacks are so good! I hadn’t had them in forever because when I had all those thyroid issues, my doctor had advised me to stay away from foods high in iodine. So I tried to limit eating things like tuna and seaweed and I also cut back on sushi which I love. She also brought me some macarons and I enjoyed them in the evening with a cup of tea. More Food Favourites Another favourite is eating tinned tuna (now that I can) and salad for lunch at work. Of course some days I wish I had the power to turn my salad into a Big Mac. But most days I’m happy with a healthy salad. I think most of the things on my list of quick favourites are about food! I made some homemade garlic bread the other day and it tasted great! Will definitely go back to making my own instead of buying it from the supermarket. It was easy and convenient to buy but also expensive. $7.00 for garlic bread!! crazy! These zucchini noodles are great. I had plans to just eat them with my turkey bolognese instead of having pasta as a healthier option. But those carbs were calling me so I gave in and mixed the zucchini noodles with the pasta. I couldn’t resist! Steve and I decided to stay home on Wednesday night instead of going out for dinner. It was fun eating dinner in front of the telly. We had leftover turkey bolognese with salad and a glass of really nice red wine. I got this box of fruit and nut mix as part of a Christmas hamper and we devoured it while we caught up on more Blue Bloods. I made a chicken and leek pie on Thursday night and it was perfect for a cold night. Yep, it’s warm days and cold nights at the moment. Longer Days! One final non-food related favourite is that the days are getting longer. It isn’t pitch black at 4.30 pm anymore…hooray! The other day I looked at the clock, it was almost 5.30 and it was still daylight! Spring is coming!   This week has just gone by so fast and I feel like I have been playing catch up! I think that this time around it is taking me longer to snap back into my work routine after the break. I’m really looking forward to seeing the Barbie movie and spending the day with my lovely friend tomorrow. And I’ll be back here on Monday to tell you what I thought of the movie. It’s been out for a few days now and I have heard a few mixed reviews. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a bit different from what I was expecting! Have a wonderful weekend! Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

A Few Quick Favourites Read More »

highlights

Highlights From The Past Few Days

Hey friends I hope that you all had an amazing week. It’s unbelievable how quickly time flies, especially during the fun school holidays and now it’s time for Friday favourites! Thanks for stopping by today as I share some highlights from the past few days. 1 It’s been so warm and sunny with temps as high as 22°C and I’m loving it! It’s almost hard to believe that we are in the middle of winter. 2 I had an amazing couple of days staying with my friend at her home in Avoca Beach. We were spoiled with the most amazing blue skies and sunny weather. When we went for our walks along the beach it was still cool and so I wore layers and a jacket. But when we sat in the sun it was so lovely and warm. 3 Another big favourite was going with my friend to visit her dad who lives in a nursing home. It’s so hard not to get emotional when I visit as we share so many lovely memories and we are all more like family than friends. We went for a walk, had lunch and then played a few rounds of dominoes when we got back to the home. He is as sharp as a tack and would call out the scores in a flash. Whereas I had to use my fingers to count, numbers are not my thing! 4 I love this sunscreen spray my cousin gave me and I have been using it all week. It’s so easy to use because it sprays like a fine mist and leaves my skin feeling great. It has SPF 50+ which is perfect. 5 I had a fun night catching up with some friends over snacks and drinks. We went to a place called Miss Celie’s and listened to live music. 6 Luke and his lovely fiancee came over for dinner. Having my family together for a meal is always one of my favourite things! I cooked so much food that we had leftovers for the next two days. Ha! I definitely take after my mum, she would always do the same! 7 Sanding the door frames before painting is not really a favourite. But finally starting a project that I have been putting off for months is a favourite. I was listening to/watching MasterChef on the Ipad as I worked to make the job feel less tedious. Sushi our cat was keeping me company and when I turned away she decided to roll in the dust! 8 My cousin dropped by to give me some empanadas that she had made with her mum. My aunt makes THE best empanadas. She even makes the pastry from scratch…YUM!! 9 Our pillows were as flat as pancakes and we really needed new ones. I couldn’t resist taking advantage of Amazon’s Prime sale to order some plump cozy pillows. 10 I went to Aldi for the first time in months and I picked up these prawn, scallop and lobster bisque pots. We had them for dinner last night and they were so delicious! I loved them so much that I went back today to pick up some more. I also bought some Chinotto which I used to drink often and then forgot all about. Chinotto has an interesting taste which I really like, it’s sweet and bitter at the same time. 11 When I went to Bunnings to buy the sander to use for the door frames I also picked up some pretty Daisies. I’ve put them outside the front door because they need full sun and our front door gets lots of sunshine. The ones that I bought last year didn’t do very well in our shady courtyard. And that’s a wrap for some of my favourite highlights. As I said before I can hardly believe how fast this week has flown by and just like that my four weeks off from work have ended 😢. But I’m not going to think about that until 6.30 am on Monday morning when that dreaded alarm goes off! Instead, I’m going to savour every minute of the weekend! I hope you guys have a great weekend too! Happy Friday Linking up with Andrea and Erika    

Highlights From The Past Few Days Read More »