Friday Favourites

Hiya friends. I know I say this a lot but seriously! This week really went by so fast!! It’s been a good week with a whole lot of good things happening. This week has been all about some lovely treats. As well as some big things that I just have to get my head around. I kind of feel like I’m a bit all over the place but I’m happy to be back here today sharing a few of this week’s favourites! Pizza And Margaritas! I had an amazing birthday weekend which ended on Sunday night. When my family came over to my place for pizzas and Margaritas! Birthday Surprises I had a fantastic start to the week! My lovely friend surprised me with some amazing birthday goodies on Monday morning. She has the sweetest family and I love them so much!! Now I have the best mug in the staff room at preschool. And drinking out of it it really just makes me so happy!! Flavoured Tea When I got home on Monday afternoon after work. Sam’s lovely girlfriend was visiting and she gave me a lovely variety of teas from T2 as a birthday present. I love a nice cup of tea in the evenings and I especially love tea from T2. Lollies! My cousin gave each of us a treat jar filled with our favourite lollies as well as a gift card for Christmas. As you can see I have more self-control than Steve or Sam. They have finished all their lollies but I’m making sure that I make my favourite snake lollies last! Avocados I have been eating lots of avocados that I bought from the farmer’s market. These are a perfect size to pack for lunch. Strawberry Milkshake! Strawberry milkshakes are my favourite and when my work colleague sent me this pic on Tuesday evening. I was inspired to make myself one too. I used this delicious Hersheys syrup but I got carried away and splashed a huge amount so my milkshake was super sweet! Macarons! Then on Wednesday, another lovely friend gave me these delicious macarons for my birthday. So Wednesday evening after dinner I ate three of them and they tasted so good!! Thursday was a big day because Sam bought himself a car!! It’s a lovely car and mechanically sound but I have to get my head around this big purchase. I’m still not used to the fact that he drives. And now that he is responsible for his own car. Well, that just about messes with all of my emotions and my brain is playing catch up. How did the years go by so fast, I mean it feels like he was a little kid just a minute ago! Wow, what an amazing week it’s been, packed with some more birthday surprises and some majorly exciting events! Although I must admit, even good things can be a little bit overwhelming, so I just need a bit of time to fully take them all in and savour the excitement! Anyway, I’m keeping today’s Friday favourites post short because I am just about to head off to the Ed Sheeran concert in a minute. Thank you so much for being here today and letting me share a few of this week’s favourites with you. I hope that you have the best weekend! See you back here on Monday 😊 Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

Happy Friday friends! It’s that glorious time of the week again when we can take a deep breath and finally welcome the weekend. I am so excited that the weekend is finally here. Probably because It has felt like such an incredibly long week! We hit the ‘week three blues’ at preschool. The new children have now realised that saying goodbye to mum and staying to play is not as exciting as it was in week one. Sigh! Anyway, I decided to call this week ‘birthday week’ because it’s my birthday this Saturday. And to celebrate I decided to try and remember to treat myself every day. It’s been so good that I may carry ‘birthday week’ into next week! Today I am linking up with Andrea and Erika to share a few highlights from ‘birthday week’. Thank you so much for stopping by today. And I really hope that you all had a great week. But I’m pretty sure that if you are like me. Then you are super thankful for the weekend. So let’s jump right in with my first favourite for birthday week. Spend And Save It was ‘Spend and Save’ at my favourite clothing store Country Road. This was a week-long promotion where if you spent over a certain amount then you saved by getting a discount. I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t spent at all I would have definitely saved. But hey it was birthday week! So I just had to treat myself. I bought a chocolate-coloured top, a black sleeveless top, a pair of black pants and a cute cap. Can you tell I like dark colours? Flowers In my front garden, I noticed the flowers facing the sun that I planted in the spring blooming beautifully. While the ones that are in the shade are really struggling. It made me think of how important sunlight is and how we all need a bit of it to thrive! These look nice and healthy! Look at these poor guys. You would never think that they were planted at the same time as the others! Fruit And Veggies! I have been really excited about eating a wider variety of fruit and vegetables. I think that my visit to the farmers market on the weekend inspired me! On Monday, I roasted some capsicum and eggplant. I packed myself the most delicious sandwich with Turkish bread, ham, cheese, eggplant and capsicum. And I toasted it for lunch at work on Tuesday. It was so good!! Drivers’ License Sam passed his driver’s license test on Wednesday!! So we can finally say bye-bye to these. And hello to these! Dinner Date Steve and I went out for dinner on Wednesday and we had a fabulous dinner for birthday week. He’s working on Saturday when it’s my actual birthday. So Wednesday night was our own date night celebration. We had Alaskan king crab and prawn stack as well as bruschetta for entrees. Then for mains, Steve had the steak and I had a huge half lobster mornay with chips and salad. It’s so funny how almost every time we go out I always end up with the biggest meal! Hehe. A Dessert Bar Afterwards, we went to a dessert bar where we saw a big strawberry chocolate fountain. We were so full from dinner but we still had some room for dessert. We decided to order a sharing plate because there was no way that either of us would be able to finish a whole dessert on our own. Coke I was walking home on Thursday and I stopped off at 7-Eleven to buy myself a treat for birthday week. I bought a Coke in a glass bottle because I honestly think that it tastes better that way. We hardly ever buy coke and if we do we usually just get the bigger size that comes in a plastic bottle. But I’m convinced that Coke always tastes better from a glass bottle. Doughnuts My Friday birthday treat was some doughnuts with fun sprinkles! Strawberry-flavoured anything is my favourite!! It brings back all kinds of nostalgic memories from my childhood. My mum would sometimes treat me to a strawberry milkshake and I remember blowing into the straw to make bubbles until they almost spilled out down the sides of the cup. Ha! those were the days!! Valentine’s Card Oh yes and I nearly forgot that it was Valentine’s Day on Tuesday. Valentine’s Day is not really a huge deal here in Australia but it was nice to get a sweet card from my husband. In the end ‘birthday week’ has been a real blast. It’s amazing how taking the time to celebrate yourself can lift your spirits! I am really grateful for all the moments that made this week pretty special. I hope you all have an amazing weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday! Happy Friday! Previous Posts In case you missed some posts from earlier this week. On Monday we talked about ‘House Rules’. And I shared some of our rules that give our family structure and stability so we can enjoy our home life. On Tuesday it was all about ‘ Teaching Children About Sustainability‘. And how important it is to teach our future generation to care for our precious earth.        

Hello, hello! Can you believe it’s already the end of another week? It feels like just yesterday we were starting the week with a bang, and now here were are, ready to share some favourites that happened in just a few short days. I really enjoy linking up with Andrea from ‘Momfessionals’ and Erika from “A Little Bit Of Everything’ each week for Friday Favourites. There’s something so special about reflecting on all the things that happened over the last few days (that go by in a flash!). And I always appreciate you guys stopping by to have a read. So let’s dive right in with some favourites for this week. Monthly Dinner With Friends Monday night was all about catching up with some friends for our monthly dinner at the local club. A regular monthly catch-up is one of my favourite things. It’s the perfect opportunity to catch up with all of the things that have happened during the month. And I really love having a set date on the calendar each month too. Because this way I know that there is always something fun to look forward to each and every month. I enjoyed my usual steamed barramundi served with broccoli and boiled rice. Every month I think about ordering something else but I just love this dish so much. The barramundi is very delicate and flaky and it’s cooked in fresh garlic and soy sauce. I also love how the steamed broccoli is always cooked perfectly with just the right amount of crunch.  I tend to overcook mine unless I stand there watching it and stay really focused! Movie Night Tuesday night Steve convinced me to go to the movies. I was a bit worried that I would fall asleep because I felt so exhausted after a big day at work. We went to the 8.50 pm session to watch ‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’ with Jason Stratham and Hugh Grant. I did manage to stay awake (mostly). I guess that it helped that the movie was full of big action scenes that I normally enjoy. But I didn’t really love this movie and I thought that it was just ok. I think I prefer Hugh Grant in a rom-com. He played a villain in this movie and it just seemed a bit strange. The choc tops we ate before the movie started were great! Cheers to yummy choc-tops! So Much Rain! Thursday the weather was absolutely nuts! The rain came down so hard and fast that it made the preschool playground totally saturated. Our preschool is located up on a hill so you could see all the rainwater gushing down the path and onto the street. It was crazy and I don’t think that I have ever seen so much rain in one day before. Then at the end of the day when we left the preschool later than usual after a staff meeting. The sun was out! Ha, the weather is just so weird this summer. A Yummy Lunchbox I had to take a photo of this delicious lunch box from one of our new preschoolers. Doesn’t it look so fresh and healthy? I had to laugh when the cute little owner told me she had grandpa cheese. I guess her grandpa must love Brie cheese a lot and now she’s named it after him. Yummy nutritious lunchboxes are a favourite! And so are the ones that are easy to open and close. You wouldn’t believe how difficult some lunchboxes can be to manage! These seemingly innocent containers can be as tricky as a Rubik’s cube. With lids that won’t go on properly, and snap locks that just won’t snap. I don’t know who designs these containers but I’d really like to have a chat with them!! Lip Oil I have been loving my Clarins Lip Comfort Oil which I bought when I went shopping with my friend in the school holidays. It leaves my lips feeling smooth and hydrated and I really love that it has a subtle colour and glossy shine. When I first saw it at the shops I thought that the colour would be too intense. But when I tried it on it gave my lips just the right amount of tint. And I’m so glad that I chose the chocolate colour. Meal Planning And Online Grocery Shopping I pretty much stuck to my meal plan this week and I’m proud of myself! It’s been so great knowing what to cook each night and it’s made my week a whole lot easier. It’s also made my online grocery shopping a breeze because I knew exactly what to order. I get such a buzz when my groceries are delivered because it means that I haven’t had to step foot inside a supermarket and battle the long lines. Which is really the last thing that I feel like doing after a long week at work. And that’s a wrap on another week! It sure was a busy one and I still feel like I’m adjusting to being back at work after the lovely long summer break. Which now feels like a very distant memory! I don’t have any major plans for the weekend and I’m excited to have some lovely free time! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday friends! And just in case you missed this week’s posts you can catch up here. Hello Monday Let’s Look-What’s Inside My Medicine Cabinet How To Keep The Spark Alive In Your Relationship

Favourites From The Week Hi everyone! I’m back here today sharing some favourites from the week. But firstly I can’t tell you how happy I am to welcome back the weekend! It has just been such a busy week. I’m not really surprised though because the first week back at preschool is always so full on. And I think that maybe the best way to describe it is that it’s a bit like childbirth! You forget how hard it is until you go through it again!! Haha….maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration! But friends it’s been a bit of a wild week! Anyway, it’s great to be back again on this sunny Friday to share some of my favourites from the week. Thank you so much for being here today. My first favourite for this week was meeting my cousin’s new puppy Zilla. She is absolutely the cutest and I am so excited that I get to see her again tomorrow. I have loved drinking refreshing iced coffee with hazelnut syrup. Perfect for those hot summer days. The temps have been around 30°C for most of this week and it’s just the way I like it! Priceline was having a major sale so I stocked up on a few things. I picked up the argan hair moisturising treatment for $13.80 instead of $23.00 so that was a nice saving. I also bought this Sally Hansen nail polish which looks very similar to the one that I nearly bought last weekend. And it was only a fraction of the price! My lovely friends went to San Francisco to visit their family over the Christmas holidays and they brought me back some beautiful surprises. They are so sweet to think of me and I will be tucking into some of these goodies tonight. Because it’s Friday night treat night! Look at this cute baby Yoda. They know what a big Star Wars fan I am. Steve and I went out for our usual seafood dinner on Wednesday night and this time we shared some ice cream for dessert. It was such a hot and humid night and the ice cream tasted so refreshing. We had Turkish delight, pistachio and mango. Yum, yum and yum! We have all been really enjoying some refreshing summer fruit this week. I ordered some grapes when I did my online food shop and I was surprised by how big the bunches were. We had two of these containers full of sweet grapes and everyone at home has been tucking into them. It’s a good thing that I have another grocery order coming today with more refreshing grapes. I’m not sure if I have shared this mayonnaise with you guys before. But this is everyone’s favourite mayonnaise here at home. It’s so creamy and delicious! It’s perfect for potato salad and tuna sandwiches as well as just about everything. I’m back to eating healthy salads at work. No daytime snacking anymore until the next holidays. One of my favourite things about working with kids is hearing the funniest things they come out with! I overheard a few things this week that made me chuckle. Two little girls who had only just started preschool were painting at the easel and they hadn’t met before or even acknowledged each other’s presence. When one turned to the other and said” Hey do you want to be my best friend”. The other little girl replied, “yeah ok”. Ah, life and relationships can be so uncomplicated when you’re four years old. Rest and relaxation time is not everyone’s favourite and we often have a few wiggle worms. So we keep it short and sweet for them. On Thursday I said to the kids “only two more minutes before we finish rest time”. One of my funny little friends asked “and how many seconds?” I burst out laughing! One of our new preschoolers has been having the best time. When his mum said goodbye to him one morning. He replied,” bye mum, see you tomorrow”. Ha! And there we have ten favourites from the week. I sure am glad to get week one back at work out of the way. And now it’s only ten more weeks until the end of term. But who’s counting? 😂 I hope that you all had a fantastic week and are just as excited as I am that it’s the weekend! Once I jump off the computer. I’m going to wrap up a few chores around the house. And then hang out on the couch with some snacks and watch lots of something. I haven’t decided what to watch yet. But I just hope that I can keep my eyes open. Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika for today’s Friday Favourites    

Hi friends wow I can hardly believe that it’s Friday already! And I think that I must say this a lot but I’ll say it again…..this week has sure gone by way too fast! As usual, I am linking up with Andrea and Erika and today I will be sharing with you some of my summer holiday favourites. Well, my summer holidays are quickly coming to an end and this week has been my last full week of school holidays. I honestly cannot believe how fast the last four weeks have flown by. And it feels like only yesterday that my colleagues and I were all excitedly wishing each other a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. After locking up the preschool on the last day of the term. I start back at work on Friday next week which is going to feel really odd! And it means that I will still be confused about what day it is. Because it’s just totally weird starting work on a Friday. Don’t you agree? But that’s just the way the school calendar worked out this year. Hmph!! Anyway, we have a pupil-free day on Friday and then come Monday it will be all hands on deck as we welcome back the children. And I’m sure that they will be all ready and excited for a brand new year of preschool. But before all the back-to-work madness begins. It’s fun to look back and be grateful for a wonderful break from work and take a look at some of my summer holiday favourites! Summer Holiday Favourites Being At Home! I am the biggest homebody. I just love being at home with no pressure of having to be anywhere at any particular time. Some days I was in my pyjamas until midday! I Watched A Lot Of Shows Because I didn’t have to worry about getting to work in the morning. I stayed up super late watching shows that I have been really wanting to watch for a while. More Time For Blogging I love blogging but because I work full-time. It just means that I don’t have as much time to devote to it as I would like. But during the holidays I blogged more often and I also had time to read more of my favourite blogs as well. Yay! Cooking Was Fun I have to admit that after being at work all day. Coming home to cook can be a bit of a drag. Especially on the weeks when my meal planning has gone out the window (oops!). So being on holiday and having time meant that I really enjoyed my time in the kitchen. I even had time to bake some goodies like peanut butter M&M cookies. Banana bread I also felt like a total hero when I made creme caramel the other day! Shopping Days It was great going out with my lovely friend to enjoy some fun shopping trips. We got to hang out, shop, chat and eat lunch together. Time For Decluttering As much as I like to organise and declutter consistently. Things just tend to pile up, especially after Christmas. So it was really great that I had the time to go through drawers and cupboards. Sort things out, and donate, recycle or throw ‘stuff’ out. Here’s the pile I got rid of! Family Time We are at that stage in our family life where work and other commitments get in the way of us being able to sit down to have dinner together. But for the last few weeks, we have been eating lunch together as a family on most days. This is because Sam has also been on holiday after finishing school and my husband doesn’t start work until late afternoon. Eating together has certainly been one of my biggest summer holiday favourites! Self Care Another one of my summer holiday favourites was having time for self-care. I loved painting my fingernails while I listened to music. It was also great to try out some face masks and hair masks. And soaking in a warm bath with bath salts was an absolute treat! I was pretty bad at remembering to drink water though. It’s easier to remember to drink water while I’m at work because we all remind each other. Thank you work friends! Sleeping In I think that at the top of my list of summer holiday favourites is the luxury of being able to sleep in. I’m pretty sure that I have caught up on all of my lost hours of sleep from the past year. And I may even have one less eye bag. Winning!! Telephone Chats It’s interesting how I have become used to just shooting off a quick text to friends and family. But during these summer holidays, I was actually able to have proper telephone conversations! Is it just me or are they a thing of the past? It seems that these days it’s all about quick texts. Which is totally ok because I get it. We are all busy! But it was really nice to spend time chatting on the phone without feeling rushed.   It has been wonderful having time to unwind and enjoy the simple luxury of just being at home. I have had a really fantastic summer break and even though I haven’t gone away anywhere. I have relished every second of being at home. I am feeling really positive about 2023 and looking forward to what the rest of the year will bring our way. I hope that you all have a great weekend and thank you so much for stopping by. Happy Friday!  

Hi friends, it’s great to be back today. Can you believe that the first week of 2023 just passed? I know that I can’t as it feels like we only just finished celebrating Christmas! I hope that you all had a fantastic New Year’s Eve. Mine was really low-key and exactly what I needed. I spent some time with special friends and then I got home early to watch the fireworks on TV. You can read all about my New Year’s Eve here. Well like I only just said the first week of 2023 has just flown by. And a big challenge for me is that I have to keep reminding myself to write 2023 instead of 2022 and stop myself from saying ‘next year’ because it is next year! Anyway, I guess it’ll take a little while and then I’ll get used to it. So this past week was just wonderful. Gloriously boringly wonderful!! Apart from one fun outing, I have just been at home all week doing all the mundane tasks and loving every single minute. It is just the best feeling to not have to be anywhere or do anything. I have been cooking, decluttering and organising as well as watching some of my favourite movies and TV shows. The Finale So let’s begin this week’s recap and talk about one of my all-time favourite shows…… I had to say goodbye to The Doctor on Monday night when I watched the final episode ever. The ‘Doc Martin Christmas Special’🥲. I won’t give away any spoilers but I will say that I loved how it ended. It was just perfect….sigh. If you haven’t watched this show you really should. It’s a brilliant combination of drama and comedy. I only started watching it a few years ago. It never interested me when I used to see it advertised on TV and I remember thinking that I probably wouldn’t like this type of show. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Then I think one night my husband was flicking channels and started watching it while I was playing Candy Crush. I was obsessed with this game at the time. And it sparked my interest because something funny happened. So we both started watching it from season one and we have been huge fans ever since. I think that I will go back and start watching it all over again from season one. I just can’t imagine my weeks without my favourite doctor! Afternoon Treats After decluttering and organising I have been rewarding myself with little treats like this Oh, it’s so good to sit down and have a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll. Late Breakfast On Tuesday morning I made everyone pancakes for a very late breakfast. I have been going to bed late after enjoying some TV. One of my big goals is to go to bed early but that goal starts when I go back to work! So on most days, I have been eating breakfast after 10 am which is when I usually start to feel hungry. I always skip breakfast on work days because I feel sick just thinking about food any earlier than 10. After that then food is pretty much all I think about all day long! We had our pancakes with Queen Pure Canadian Maple Syrup which was incredibly delicious. But I can’t say that it’s any better than the usual Woolworths home brand that I buy. The only difference is the price. This one was $9.00 and the home brand is $6.00. I bought the other one to try but because they taste the same I’ll just get the cheaper one again next time I shop. Seafood Steve and I went out to enjoy a big seafood dinner on Wednesday night. The seafood was amazing but the weather was pretty bad so this was the view from the restaurant. Cloudy and rainy again. We were going to order dessert but there was nothing on the menu that we were keen on. So I suggested we just go home, watch a show and have some apple pie that I had in the freezer. So we did just that. I popped the pie in the oven and then when it was cooked we all enjoyed hot apple pie and ice cream. Nom nom! Shopping In Bondi Junction I caught up with my bestie on Thursday and we spent the whole day in Bondi Junction wandering around the shops. We visited Williams Sonoma, West Elm and Pottery Barn. You can only find these shops in Bondi and Chatswood here in Sydney. I bought a packet of blueberry muffin mix and I am excited to make them soon. It’s been raining and cold the last couple of days so it’s perfect baking weather. We then went to look at the shops inside Westfields and I convinced my friend to go inside Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Haha! I have only been inside these super high-end shops a couple of times just out of curiosity. We looked at some small card wallets and they ranged in price from $800-$900. Then we went and had a look at some of the clothes. This jacket was priced at a cool $16,000 It was funny visiting these stores because there was no way that I was going to buy anything. To be honest I can’t say that I even liked the products in Chanel. They are just so over the top with all the embellishments and not my style at all. Which is a very good thing considering the prices! Lunch Afterwards, we went to the food court and enjoyed some lunch. It was so fun eating and chatting. I love my friend! We both ordered the avocado, pesto and goat’s fetta toastie. It was really delicious. More Shopping Then we went to Zara and tried on a few things. I ended up buying a really nice pair of grey pants. We looked at some cute puppies in

Hi, friends I just wanted to jump on the blog quickly to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I have really enjoyed linking up with Andrea and Erika and joining in the Friday Favourites linkup each week. And I always appreciate you guys stopping by to have a read. I would also like to say a huge thank you for your lovely comments. They always make my heart sing! However, you are ringing in the New Year. Whether you are out partying, staying at home in your PJs in front of the TV or blissfully asleep. I hope that you have a wonderful evening and I pray that in 2023 you will be blessed with peace, joy and happiness. As well as faith, strength and perseverance through any challenging times that may come ahead. I’ll leave you today with a few thoughts about the New Year and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday and Happy New Year!  

Hi, friends I am officially on summer holiday since Wednesday !!! And now it feels like it’s Friday every day! I think my husband must be sick of me asking him what day of the week it is haha! But because preschool finished on Tuesday it felt like a Friday and then the rest of the week felt like the weekend. I’m totally confused and will probably remain like this until I go back to work. Thanks so much for reading along and letting me share with you some highlights of all my Fridays this week hehe! Meetings Then Cleaning And Organising The children all finished preschool the week before. But the staff had two pupil-free days on Monday and Tuesday. We had a super long staff meeting on Monday. Then the rest of the day we got stuck into some cleaning and organising. We didn’t have any meetings on Tuesday. Because Tuesday was all about getting a long list of chores done before 3.40 hit and we were out of there! Thankfully our preschool is pretty organised. All the staff do an amazing job of keeping the cupboards etc tidy during the year. We also keep on top of washing and disinfecting toys. But at the end of every year, we do a big clean up of the classrooms, storeroom, office, kitchen and shed. It’s a big job! We leave the whole preschool looking pretty bare. All ready for some new crafts and works of art that will be displayed next year. My co-worker and I gave the shed a good tidying. I forgot to take a before pic but here it is all neat and organised. It’s nice to have a clear floor! Before this, there was a whole lot of equipment that needed a home other than the floor. At the end of the day, we all wished each other a Merry Christmas with cuddles and plans to get together for lunch or something in the new year. I work with such a great bunch of ladies! A Fun Overnight Stay About a month ago we went to a really fun wedding and because it was a bit far from where we lived. We decided to stay overnight at the Parkroyal in Parramatta. It was such a lovely hotel so my husband booked us a night’s stay to celebrate the first day of my holidays on Wednesday. Parramatta is a vibrant city with lots of history and a large multicultural community. There are so many trendy bars and restaurants buzzing with so many people. And I was amazed by all the huge buildings and big commercial areas. It also has a lovely riverside cycle path. So many old buildings like these ones. As well as some super modern ones like these. I don’t think that you would really call Parramatta a holiday destination. But it was so fun staying in a lovely hotel and relaxing after such a busy last few weeks. And I am also a big fan of being a tourist in my own backyard (I don’t have to get on an aeroplane and that’s a big win for me!!) A Delicious Dinner Wednesday night before dinner, we had a couple of drinks in the hotel bar and shared a small appetiser. Yummy crab croquettes! Then we walked around looking for a place to eat and we found a really nice pub. There were heaps of restaurants everywhere but they were so busy and we hadn’t booked anywhere. So we were happy to find a nice quiet place that just so happened to serve the most amazing food! Steve ordered a steak and it came with mash AND veggies. We were both laughing about my experience a couple of weeks ago at a fancy restaurant with ridiculous prices. Where I had to make a tough choice between chips and salad because they didn’t serve both. I had the beef ragu pasta and it was so good. I love how they gave me lots of parmesan cheese on the side too. For dessert, we shared a brownie and ice cream. Buffet Breakfast The next morning we enjoyed a buffet breakfast. But I wasn’t very hungry after such a big meal the previous night and all I could fit in was one plate of breakfast. I normally like to work my way around a buffet and try a bit of everything!! It’s Nearly Christmas!! This morning I went to the shops nice and early before the crowds got too crazy. And I picked up a whole lot of things from the two dollar shops for our Christmas eve party games. I have also borrowed a small karaoke machine from preschool. We are all looking forward to a fun night at my sweet cousin’s house tomorrow. So I better sign off now and finish organising all the last-minute things. I am also cooking a fall-apart roast pork to take for dinner tomorrow night. If you are looking for a delicious, juicy and flavoursome roast pork recipe you can find it here. I love this recipe, it’s a huge winner every time I make it. It has just the right amount of seasoning and the meat comes out all tender. Oooooh so good!! Merry Christmas! I would also like to take the opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. And say a huge thank you! Thank you so very much for stopping by to read my blog. I truly appreciate every single one of you. And I hope that you have a wonderful time with your loved ones this weekend as you celebrate together. Much love    

Hi friends can you believe that we are only days away from Christmas!! It’s crazy how fast the days are flying by, isn’t it? I have so many fun end-of-year favourites for this week and as usual, I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for today’s post. My Energy’s Back! I finally feel like I have my energy back after being sick with covid about a month ago. I can’t believe that it’s taken this long for me to start feeling like my old self again. My symptoms all went away after a couple of weeks (except for an annoying cough that I still have!). But I was really lacking energy and oomph. Now I finally feel like I have turned a corner and that is a huge favourite!! Preschool Favourites The last week of the preschool year is always so much fun. And if ever I needed to have my energy back. This was definitely the week! It has been such a busy week with concert rehearsals right up until the day before the actual big events. We always have two concerts and Christmas parties because we have different children attending preschool at either end of the week. So that’s a whole lot of rehearsals!! But the kids were amazing and they did such a great job. I was so proud of them and I’m sad to see many of them go off to primary school. Thankfully we still have quite a few children who will be returning next year. I always joke with my little friends who are leaving and I say to them ” I’m going to miss you guys!! Who am I going to play with next year?” they always giggle and I usually get a Ruuuuth….. you’re so funny! Setting Up For The Big Day Before the concerts, there is a whole lot of lifting and moving furniture to get the preschool ready. We always joke that if we ever lost our jobs at preschool then we could always go into the furniture removal business! 25 Years Of Service During Tuesday’s concert, I was so surprised to be recognised for 25 years of service at the preschool. Wow, that’s a long time!! And the scary thing is that those years have gone by in a flash! Our parent committee along with our Director presented me with a beautiful framed certificate. As well as a lovely bunch of flowers and a very generous amount of gift certificates! I honestly did not expect any of this and it was so just such a lovely gesture. Back Stage Shenanigans For the Tuesday concert, we had to help the children with a few quick props and costume changes. So my fun colleagues and I hung out behind the curtain ready for action. Thankfully we had practised enough and we didn’t fumble around trying to find things (like we had many times before). By Tuesday we were on point with the props and costume changes haha! Backstage the three of us were dancing around singing and doing all the actions to the songs as the children performed for their parents. It was fun doing our own little concert with no one watching. Party Food The parents generously brought a plate of food to share and there was so much. Everyone enjoyed all the yummy party food. And it was so great to see everyone mingling and having the best time after two long years of concerts and parties on hold. Presents As I have mentioned before I am always so touched by the kindness and generosity of our lovely preschool families. I received many lovely gifts and cards. These most gorgeous Christmas ornaments went straight onto my tree as soon as I put the date and the name of my little student on the back with a sharpie. Then reading special cards such as this one will always make me cry happy tears. And this one too. It’s so special how these lovely mums have written what their beautiful kids have said. A New Diary I mentioned to my lovely friend that this year I was NOT  going to buy a diary from Kikki.K my favourite stationery shop. I know that this is going to sound ridiculous but buying another diary from them just felt wrong after this year was so yuck. Instead, I had plans to buy a cheap one from Kmart or not buy one at all. But my bestie surprised me with this beautiful diary and I love it so much. So I’m sure that 2023 is going to be a great year. Every week there is an inspirational quote. And I am so ready to be showered with bucketloads of inspiration that’s for sure!! The pictures are so cute too and I’m excited to start writing in it soon. It was a fun week full of end-of-year favourites. I am looking forward to the weekend as I have a bit more shopping and a catch-up with some family on Sunday. Then next week I only have to go to work on Monday and Tuesday for a meeting and a big end-of-year cleanup. Then that’s it for the year! I hope you all have the best weekend, Happy Friday!