Friday Favourites

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  

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

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!  

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!

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.

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    

Hey friends it’s great to be back today catching up on favourites. The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind! But I’m happy to report that I’m feeling better every day since my thyroidectomy. So I thought that today I would catch you up on all the favourite moments that I missed sharing last Friday. 1 Firstly, I cannot express how happy I am with my recovery and the huge relief that this surgery is over and done with. I saw the surgeon on Wednesday for my post-surgery appointment. And he was really pleased with how my neck is healing. And best of all he said that the biopsy on my nodules had come back clear. It was worth the two-hour wait in his surgery to see him and hear this news. I really appreciate how he takes time with each patient so I didn’t mind waiting at all. It also gave me a chance to read some of my favourite blogs that I wanted to catch up on. 2 Taking time off from work has also been a blessing in disguise, allowing me to focus on my well-being. Plus with the school holidays just around the corner, I have even more reason to celebrate being at home! 3 Waking up without the need to rush out of bed in the chilly Sydney mornings has been the best! Just this past week we had our coldest mornings in thirteen years where the temps tipped down really low to around 5°C. That’s Arctic conditions for us Sydneysiders! I remember reading somewhere a couple of weeks ago that we were supposed to be having a very mild winter this year. Oh well, I just have to keep reminding myself that compared to many parts of the world. Our winters really are in fact on the mild side. 4 One of my favourite moments during this period has been the opportunity to have lunch with my husband. Normally he would have just left for work by the time I got home. But this week we have been able to share a meal together every day. We had some burgers and fries from Maccas earlier in the week as a yummy treat. Steve used a few leftovers and cooked up some fried rice. Today we had some pumpkin soup with ham and cheese melts. So good on a cold Friday! 5 Just backtracking now, but the weekend before my surgery my Aunty celebrated her birthday. She even changed the weekend so that it meant I wouldn’t miss out because of the surgery. We had a fun time at her house celebrating with friends and family, lots of delicious food and of course, cake! 6 Speaking of friends and family, I am so grateful for the kindness they have shown me while I have been recovering. I have had calls and texts from so many of them checking in on me. And one of my friends from my bible study group cooked us a delicious meal which she dropped off for us. Another lovely friend surprised me with sweet goodies and a really special handmade treasure. This beautiful paper crane came in an origami box with the sweetest kindest note that brought tears to my eyes! My work colleagues also didn’t miss a beat in brightening my recovery. They sent me a stunning bouquet of flowers! While I was in the hospital my little cousin also gifted me a beautiful plant in a lovely pale pink pot that she chose herself. 7 Yesterday I felt well enough to go out and get a much-needed haircut. The hairdresser took a lot off from the back and it felt so good. Now I have more of a long bob without so many layers and I’m happy with this slight change. After my haircut, I went to TK Maxx and picked up this tube of treatment for split ends and frizzy hair. It was only $12 but it retails for over $50 online, talk about a good bargain! I guess that brings me to the end, it’s been fun catching up on some favourites. Thanks so much for dropping by to read my blog and I hope that you have a most wonderful weekend. Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika      

Hi friends I hope that you have all had a great week! I am really excited that over here we have a long weekend as it’s the King’s birthday. I have a few quick favourites to share with you today and I am so glad that you are here. So let’s get started! 1 First up I had some leftover chicken from Saturday’s cousin Connect dinner. We polished off all the leftover lasagna in a flash. And I needed a quick side for Monday night’s dinner and I made Mediterranean couscous. Easy and healthy recipes that take no time to make are my favourite! I finished throwing the ingredients together into a dish when I got a text from my friend reminding me that it was our monthly dinner with friends at the club and that she was coming over to pick me up in an hour. I had completely forgotten!! Oh my gosh, my brain has been all over the place lately and I’m having trouble concentrating and even remembering what day it is! Anyway, Sam and Steve were at work and they weren’t going to be able to make it to the dinner. So it was leftover chicken and Mediterranean couscous for them. Easy peasy! I got ready in record time and I was so glad that I went because we had a lovely night eating and catching up. We had some delicious fried dim sims to start with. My friend ordered a vegetarian chow mein as a main. And I went back to my good old favourite- the steamed barramundi with boiled rice and broccoli. We also had cake to celebrate one of our friend’s birthday. Then we finished off with a cozy cup of hot chocolate. 2 Another huge favourite is that my lovely, kind and very funny friend has been doing casual work at the preschool. She worked with us over twenty years ago and now she’s back! She’s so sweet, and sometimes she brings me treats like this. She knows that food is the way to my heart. Hehe! 3 It really is a huge favourite when the classroom is full of happy kids who are busy playing. This week we transformed our home corner into an animal hospital and the kids had a blast. The rest of the classroom was practically untouched as they all congregated in that tiny space taking care of the sick animals. 4 I was feeling a little down the other day and I opened the little box my bestie gave me, it sits on my desk and is perfect for days when things feel overwhelming. It honestly made me feel so much better. Thank you, sweet friend! 5 The other night I was too tired to sit on the couch and watch a favourite show. So instead I got into bed with a hot cup of tea and Steve and I watched an episode of ‘Vera’ on my iPad-we don’t have a TV in our room. It was so cozy and yes I did fall asleep but managed to follow the plot somehow! 6 Here is my new favourite water bottle that I use at work. I bought it last year from William Sonoma and I didn’t really need a new one when I bought it. But I couldn’t resist it and I’m so glad that I did buy it because now my old one needs replacing. 7 Sam finished his two-week hospital placement today and now he is on holiday from uni. I know he’s a big boy but I was happy to be packing his lunches again just like when he was at school. This morning I wrote him a little note and put it in his lunchbox just for old times’ sake. And that brings me to the end of seven quick favourites for today. I hope that you have a wonderful weekend and I’m excited to be back here again on Monday. Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika