Friday Favourites

favourite highlights

Favourite Highlights

Hi there friends! I hope that you have all had a great week. It’s so good to be back again for Friday Favourites and share some favourite highlights from the week. 1 I kicked off the week on a high note, all motivated and enthusiastic about prepping my lunches for work. Here’s my colourful healthy salad for Monday. Then I gradually lost my drive and by Friday I was just throwing leftovers into a container. As you can see here it’s all a bit of this and that. Not very pretty but I guess it’s a great way to get rid of leftovers! 2 Leeks! I just love leeks!! They are so delicious in everything, especially chicken and leek pies. I made the pie filling on Tuesday and then popped it in the freezer. So next time I need a quick meal I can just thaw out the chicken and leek filling. Then use some frozen shortcrust pastry to make a pie. I always feel like I’m winning when I have at least one backup meal! 3 These individual apple pies were one of my favourite highlights from the week. We don’t have dessert regularly so this was a real treat for a Tuesday night. I was really glad that I had some in the freezer to satisfy my sweet craving. 4 Steve and I went out to our favourite Italian restaurant on Wednesday night and I had the most delicious spaghetti seafood marinara. Honestly, if I could have picked up my bowl and licked it after I finished the last bite, I would have. It was that amazing! Steve ordered the spaghetti seafood marinara with white sauce and he enjoyed his meal too (but I think mine was better 😋) For dessert, we had a yummy Ferrero calzone to share. We also had complimentary limoncello which was a really nice surprise. 5 Then Thursday was our mid-term staff dinner. A small group of us went to a local pub for a nice meal and lots of laughs. Not all the staff could make it and there were only about seven of us in total. A few of us got there earlier just by chance and so we ordered a pre-dinner cocktail. And this was my dinner, crispy barramundi with chips and salad. I have to tell you about a funny moment I had when I arrived at the pub. It was my second time there, ages after my first visit. I went to open the glass doors to what I thought was the entrance and the darn doors wouldn’t budge. So there I was pushing, pulling and rattling them, making a huge commotion. I suddenly realised that the people seated in the pub had turned around to look, I was so embarrassed! Luckily one of my co-workers was already inside and had witnessed the whole scene. So she came out and rescued me by guiding me to the automatic doors conveniently located just around the corner. We both burst out laughing and she kindly reassured me, that at the very least I hadn’t walked right into the doors nose first. 6 On the list of favourite highlights for the week is this new top that I bought last week from Witchery. I wore it on Thursday night and I really like the subtle gold shimmer in the fabric and gold buttons (not sure you can see it in the photo). I am surprised that I love this top so much because I don’t usually go for anything gold. 7 And to top off the end of a pretty good week with lots of favourite highlights. The weather has been unusually warm for winter. After complaining about the cold on Wednesday, the last couple of days have been so warm and it looks like next week the temps are going to be pretty good. Yay! And that’s a wrap for this week’s Friday favourites! I hope that you guys have the best weekend. Hooray for Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Snapshots From My Week

Hi, friends it’s great to be back today linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favourites. I’ve got a few favourite snapshots from my week to share and I’m so glad that you have stopped by today! Food Snapshots I had lunch with one of my favourite people and we tried a new cafe called Urban Jungle. I thought this was a cool sign for a Jungle-inspired cafe. I was in one of my indecisive moods and was so unsure of what to order when I looked at the menu. In the end, I chose the fish tacos which tasted amazingly good! Fish tacos have gained popularity here in Australia in recent years but they are not as widely known as the good old regular beef tacos. Australian cuisine is a real fusion of flavours from all over the world. All sorts of delicious food from other countries eventually makes its way to us. But I’m still waiting for lobster rolls to become popular!!! Here’s a pic of the menu so that you can see what I mean. It’s no wonder that I took forever to decide with so many interesting choices! My lovely friend ordered the salmon topper scrumpet Colourful Drinks The fresh Watermelon Crush was however an easy decision. It was so refreshing and those popping pearls were the best! They were full of berry-flavoured juice, so good! My friend chose the pretty looking Pink Lemonade, Lychee and Rose Tea A delicious, creamy and very sweet taro latte is always a big favourite. Have you heard of tarro latte before? I hadn’t until a couple of years ago. It’s made from taro root and it’s got a really lovely purple colour with a nutty kind of flavour. I hadn’t had one in ages and so it tasted extra delicious. More Sweet Treats Steve brought home a sweet pastry treat for me on Tuesday. A Fun Movie Wednesday Steve and I caught the 6.00 pm session to see Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 3. We decided that for my sake it was better to see the earlier screening and have dinner after instead of the other way around. This way I could almost guarantee that I would stay awake! No matter how fantastic and action-packed a movie is. If you put me in a dark cozy movie theatre any later than 8.00 pm then it’s nighty night for me. Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 was absolutely brilliant and we loved it! But it was quite long so when we walked out of the cinema, all the restaurants and food outlets were closing for the night. The only one still taking orders was KFC, so chicken it was! I didn’t mind, I mean, I would have preferred to eat at a cozy restaurant. But chicken, chips and gravy are delicious any day! And that wraps up a few favourite snapshots from my week which were all mainly food related. I’m keeping it short today because it’s been a week, folks! I am so glad that it’s Friday night and I have big plans to eat all the carbs and binge-watch some favourite shows. I hope you all have a great weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday! Happy Friday! I didn’t blog much this week but I did blog yesterday. It’s all about some simple things we can do to make our homes comfortable and happy! Here it is in case you missed it. Ten Happy Home Essentials      

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favourite moments from the week

Favourite Moments From The Week

Hey there friends welcome back to this week’s Friday favourites! I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika and it’s time to catch some of my favourite moments from the week. On Monday I didn’t blog about my weekend. Instead, I joined the Not Just A Mom link-up and I shared some of my Fashion Pet Peeves. It was a fun light-hearted look at some of the things that I find a bit peculiar when it comes to style and fashion. I have really enjoyed sharing my personal pet peeves as well as my fashion pet peeves. There was something very satisfying about getting them off my chest and I also had a great time reading all about other people’s pet peeves because they were very relatable! So here are a few weekend favourites that I didn’t get to share with you on Monday. 1 I made a super quick dash to the farmers market on Saturday morning because I wanted to get some roasted nuts. They have a stall with every nut imaginable and they are always so fresh and crunchy. I got some walnuts, cashews and almonds. We all love to eat nuts as a snack and sometimes I will throw some in a salad or stir fry for that added crunch element. 2 It was nice to see the flower stall with some pretty bunches. 3 I got some Gozleme to take home for Steve’s lunch which he totally loved and devoured before he went to work. 4 It was around midday when I got home so I quickly got ready to go to my favourite monthly get-together with my family. It was time for Cousin Connect again! Seeing almost everyone was a real treat. Some of my family couldn’t make it this time but there’s always next month to look forward to. We started with delicious snacks and refreshing Hawaiian punch my youngest cousin made for us. Followed by smoked brisket, corn, macaroni and cheese balls and corn on the cob. Yum! 5 We all sat around chatting for ages and one of my cousins brought her instant camera to show us. Ha! I remember the original ones from the 70s where the photos were often fuzzy and the colours were off. But this new version produced some really nice clear and sharp pics. In addition to taking instant photos, you can send photos from your phone and the camera prints them! My sweet cousin printed a photo for me of Sam on his first day of school. 6 Then in the evening, it was time for me to go and see a band with some friends. We had dinner first and then enjoyed the music. The band played a whole lot of hits from The Eagles and the lead singer had an amazing voice. I always love live performances, there’s something so special about the energy and atmosphere. While the band was on I snuck a peek at the coronation ceremony on my phone. Because I didn’t want to miss the live broadcast completely. 7 A delicious Sunday favourite was a nice cup of coffee and a ham and cheese croissant. I love the combination of melted cheesy goodness and the flaky pastry. Such a treat! 8 In the afternoon we caught up with Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2. We want to go and see Vol 3 next Wednesday so we thought we better watch Vol 2 first. 9 This made me laugh! I was in the middle of writing all about my fashion pet peeves on Sunday evening and at the top of my list were socks and sandals. When I spotted Sam wearing his socks and Adidas slides! 10 The beginning of the week was so cold! And there is nothing more satisfying on a cold day than sausages, mashed potato, onion and lots of gravy. We don’t eat sausages very often but I sure do love them! 11 Another one of my favourite moments from the week was drinking this calming Chai tea. My lovely friend gave me a sachet to try and it was so good. I drank it from my favourite happy mug. And I was happy and calm at work for the rest of the day! 😉 I’ve got a couple of preschool favourites this week. 12 It was such a busy time at the craft table! We made crowns to celebrate The Coronation. And we are also very busy making Mother’s Day cards. As well as threading tiny beads to make key rings for the mums. By the end of the week, I was just about going cross-eyed helping the kids with their threading and I will happily not look at a bead again for a long time! We made Mother’s Day posters and asked the children what they loved about their mums. Isn’t this response just the sweetest? When it was time to pack away I saw this work of art at the playdough table. So funny! 13 And this was another one of my very favourite moments from the week. My husband texted me this lovely pic of a rainbow he saw when he was on his way to work the other day because he knows how special they are to me.   And that wraps up some of my favourite moments from the week! Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday!

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Random Favourites

Hi friends! Welcome back to this week’s fun Friday Favourites link-up with Andrea and Erika. It feels like this entire week has been on fast forward-everything happened so quickly! Looking back, it’s been an absolute blur and I have to admit that I didn’t take many photos to capture the moments. But that’s ok, some weeks are like that I guess. So I’m just rolling with it and today I am sharing a few random favourites. I was typing away on my computer and Sam was in the lounge room. I could hear swishing and splashing water sounds. So I turned around to see where it was coming from. And I spotted Sam on the lounge with our cat Sushi. He was showing her a video of some fish swimming around on his phone. Hahaha!! she looked quite engrossed and cozy sitting next to him. He also showed her some mice (bleh) scooting around, but she liked the fish the most. Nice bonding time for them! We had dinner with a group of friends at our local RSL club. This time I chose something other than my usual barramundi with steamed rice. And I went for chicken and cashews with fried rice. It tasted quite nice even though the whole dish looked a bit pale. Tuesday afternoon I went for a long walk to pick up my doctor’s referral for that dreaded appointment to see a specialist that is coming up in a couple of weeks. I saw this beautiful sunset while I was waiting to cross the busy road near my house. And it made me happy, it also helped me refocus on the moment and enjoy the beautiful sky. Wednesday night was a fun night at home. The three of us were home for dinner and we all got to eat together. We don’t get to eat dinner together very often because of Steve’s work hours and Sam’s work and study schedule. So I was really happy that we enjoyed one of our favourite dishes for dinner, teriyaki salmon. Followed by sticky date pudding with ice cream. Our preschool is having a Mother’s Day raffle and a couple of the lovely mums were busy wrapping up the prizes on Thursday. Haven’t they done an amazing job? We had so many generous donations from our preschool families! One of our preschoolers is very excited about the upcoming coronation and has requested a whole variety of possible craft activities. So it looks like we will be making bunting and crowns during our morning craft activities next week. She made me laugh when she said “Hey Ruth, did you know that the King is being Kinged soon.” Indeed he is! Thank you so much for joining me for another Friday Favourites filled with random favourites. Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with fun, relaxation and all the good vibes! Happy Friday!

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a few favourites

A Few Favourites

Hi friends! Welcome back to this week’s Friday favourites. I’m excited to be linking up with Andrea and Erika to share a few favourites from my week. This week has been all about adjusting back to the working week after the term break. And it was a bit of an unusual week because we had a public holiday on Tuesday. But as I’ve mentioned before even though we had one less working day. The week didn’t really feel any shorter! Anzac Day On Tuesday we celebrated Anzac Day, a special day in Australia and New Zealand where we show our appreciation towards the courageous men and women who have served our countries. And we come together to remember their bravery and sacrifice. We usually attend a dawn service but we didn’t this year because Steve has been working crazy long hours. And there was no way that he would have been able to get up so early. To be honest I couldn’t either! I have had some really crumby sleep lately and I think it might be a mixture of feeling a bit anxious about going back to work and also still feeling a bit sniffly from being sick last week. Anyway, our friends who we usually go to the dawn service with sent us a pic of the parade that they went to. Anzac Biscuits In honour of Anzac Day, I bought a packet of Anzac biscuits. Anzac biscuits are more than just a sweet treat, they are actually a symbol of the strength and resilience of our servicemen and women. They were originally sent to soldiers as a comforting reminder of home during World War I. Anzac biscuits are well known for their long shelf life because they are made with ingredients that don’t spoil easily. And they are really yummy, especially with a cup of tea! Warm Autumn Days This week has been really warm and gloriously sunny. And you would almost think it was spring over here. But according to my weather app, it looks like we are headed for a rainy weekend 🙁 Groceries Here is my mini grocery haul. I don’t usually go to the supermarket anymore and just order online. But I have really enjoyed walking up to our new Woolworths Metro. It is about a 15-minute walk and because the days have been so sunny I have loved walking up to have a sticky beak. And I was excited to find some things that were discounted! Tea I usually buy Tetley teabags but I thought I would try this Twinings English Breakfast. And I really enjoyed it too because the tea is extra strong and extra delicious! Date Night Wednesday night date night was fun and we went back to our usual haunt to enjoy the seafood platter. Then we finished with a bowl of gelato-vanilla, apple pie and pistachio. It was a great combo! Tasty Plant Sushi is really loving our new plant for the living room. She was munching on the leaves and I panicked, quickly googling to make sure that it wasn’t toxic. I hadn’t thought of that when I bought it at Ikea last weekend. But luckily the plant is non-toxic and completely fine for pets. Preschool Happenings My lovely colleague is back from maternity leave and I’m excited to be back in the classroom with her. She is so funny, and kind and her enthusiasm is contagious! During the week we have been talking to the kids about Anzac Day. And today we finished off by making Anzac biscuits and the kids had a blast! They were so good at waiting patiently for their turn to pour and mix the ingredients. I burst out laughing when they watched me carefully pour the melted butter into the mixture and they all let out a loud gasp of excitement. It was a chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and they made me feel like a total baking rockstar! I packaged the biscuits into brown paper bags and popped the recipe inside for their families. They were so excited to take their biscuits home. And that wraps up a few favourites for this week! To be honest, going back to work was a bit tough, but it turned out to be a good one nonetheless. And I’m feeling a whole lot better now that I’ve got week one under my belt. Thank you so much for being here today, I hope that you have all had a fantastic week and are just as excited as I am that it’s the weekend! Happy Friday! In case you missed my previous posts this week Hello Monday- A Recap Of My Weekend What’s Up Wednesday- Monthly Update Monthly Musings- all About Spring!  

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All About Spring

Hey everyone it’s so good to be back again for this month’s fun Monthly Musings link-up with Holly and Patty. This month’s topic is All About Spring. And even though spring is a few months away for us because it’s Autumn over here in Australia. I’m excited to talk all about spring and everything that makes this season so delightful! In addition to the general excitement of the season. Today we are going to chat about favourite spring fashion pieces, delicious meals, spring traditions and a whole lot more. So let’s dive right in! All About Spring Favourite Spring Fashion Pieces I love wearing black and neutral colours. But once the weather warms up I find that I am just itching to wear something light and fresh. I don’t really tend to go for floral patterns. And when it comes to favourite spring pieces I usually like to wear anything that is neutral-coloured and add a touch of soft pink or blush. I also really love my light-coloured jeans. And after months of wearing dark denim and black pants. I am so ready to ditch these items. It’s so refreshing to embrace the lighter and brighter side of fashion in spring. Favourite Spring Scent When it comes to favourite spring scents there is nothing quite like the fresh invigorating aromas that fill the air during this time of the year. Spring is all about the smell of blooming flowers, the scent of freshly cut grass and the zesty fragrance of citrus fruits. All of these scents just scream ‘Spring is here!’ And when it comes to fragrances my favourite one for spring is Ô De Lancôme because it has a perfect blend of all the scents that make springtime so special. Go To Spring Meals Once the weather starts to warm up I get excited to whip up some fresh, colourful salads. I also like to make this very easy quiche which you can enjoy both hot and cold. And this spinach pie is also a favourite because it goes so well with a crispy fresh garden salad. Share A Spring Dessert Recipe I love these simple-to-make peanut butter M&M cookies because they are full of colourful M&Ms. And spring is all about colour! Plus these are great to take to picnics or any fun get-together! Share A Few Spring Traditions I always go to Bunnings on the first weekend of September to buy some colourful flowering plants for our front garden. I don’t have a green thumb at all but I’m getting better at looking after plants. Go me! Best Spring Cleaning Hack I think that my best spring cleaning hack is to declutter my wardrobe. It’s the perfect time to get rid of winter clothes that have seen better days. Or donate the ones that I haven’t worn at all during the colder months. It’s fun and exciting to pack away all the heavy winter clothing and pull out a fresh spring wardrobe. Will You Plant A Garden This Year? I’ve given up trying to grow vegetables. I used to grow tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and zucchini when my kids were little. We had some success and enjoyed gardening together despite my limited gardening skills. Now I just plant flowering plants because they look pretty and don’t need much looking after. Spring Rain…Love Or Hate? I’m not a fan of rain EVER unless I’m tucked into bed and night and I can hear it pouring down softly. Rain just makes my hair go frizzy! Favourite Spring Flower Jonquils because they have a lovely sweet fragrance. Any Spring Travel Plans This Year? No, not really, we don’t have any big travel plans but we do want to go on our staycation to Manly (a beachside suburb) that we missed out on last month. And it’s not much fun going to the beach in autumn or winter so we have decided to postpone it until later in the year.   Even though autumn is in full swing for me right now. It’s still always exciting to look forward to spring. So I’m going to try hard to embrace the autumn vibes while I keep dreaming of the warm, sunny days and bright colourful flowers that await us in the spring!  

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food friends and fun moments

Food Friends And Fun Moments

Hi friends! Thanks so much for being here today for another Friday Favourites link-up with Andrea and Erika. It’s time to kick back, relax and embrace those Friday feels. While I’m excited that it’s the weekend, my head is almost spinning because the week has just flown by so fast. I had a really great week and it was all about food, friends and fun moments. And after such a lovely week, I have to admit that I don’t feel quite ready to go back to work on Monday hmph! Nevertheless, I need to focus on the positives and be grateful for the two weeks’ holiday that I just had. I am so happy that you have stopped by to have a read so let’s jump into a quick recap and a few favourite moments from the week. Resting Up! I spent Monday at home watching more 9-1-1 and resting after feeling unwell on Sunday. Thankfully the strong antibiotics did their thing and I woke up feeling almost back to my normal self on Tuesday! This was a good thing because a friend of mine invited me to have lunch with her at St George Sailing Club. I was so happy that I felt well enough to go out and actually enjoy the day pain-free! If you have ever had a sinus infection you’ll know what I mean. They are no fun at all! A Long Lunch It was fun catching up over cocktails, a delicious lunch and some pretty stunning views of the water. Afterwards, we went for a nice walk along the promenade admiring the views and the huge mansions. It must be nice to wake up to those views every morning! After I said goodbye to my friend I was going to catch an Uber home. But it was such a lovely afternoon that I decided to keep walking. Despite the hour-long trek, I felt really energized as I made my way home, enjoying the glorious sunshine and feeling grateful for the beautiful autumn day. Date Night Wednesday Steve and I went to The Continental Bar and Bistro in Newtown and it was such a delightful place. It had a warm, cozy, inviting atmosphere and the staff were so friendly. I love places like this where you feel so instantly welcome the minute you walk in. We shared a charcuterie board and it did not disappoint. From the variety of cured meats to the selection of cheeses and artisanal bread, every bite was such a treat. I was blown away by how creative and innovative their menu is and I think that this is what sets it apart from other eateries. I loved how they serve up their signature cocktails straight from a can. And I enjoyed a seriously good mar-tinny with just the right balance of vermouth and gin. For dessert, we ordered a flan in a can haha! which was really good. We had such a great night and we really enjoyed the fun and playful vibe of the bar. I thought that it was a really cute and unusual way to enjoy food and cocktails. Who knew that eating and drinking out of cans could be so exciting and delicious? I can’t wait to go back! Shopping And Lunch Wednesday I met up with my sweet bestie for a fun day out for lunch and shopping in the city. We had a nice long lunch at a Mediterranean fusion cafe. After studying the menu for ages because we couldn’t decide what to eat. I decided on a  delicious hearty bowl of pasta and my friend ordered the chicken skewers. We looked around the shops for a bit more after lunch and we ended the day at one of my favourite shops called Muji. Where I bought a few more cleaning supplies and then we caught the train home. I had such a great time with my sweet kind friend, she has such a thoughtful kind nature. And I just love hanging out with her. When I got home I think that I must have been inspired after buying some cleaning things at Muji so even though it was late I decided to clean the oven. Believe me, it really needed a good cleaning. I put on a movie on my Ipad to listen/watch and went to work scrubbing until it was sparkling clean and when I finished I felt like a total hero. I didn’t think to take a before photo of the oven and I only took a pic of the gross glass so I would remember how it fitted properly. It has some tricky clips on the side that gave me grief when I cleaned the oven for the first time when it was brand new a couple of years ago. Even though it’s a self-cleaning oven you still have to scrub the racks and the glass by hand. It’s only the inside that cleans itself. Oven cleaning is not a favourite but a sparkly one sure is! More Shopping Today I caught up with another lovely friend and this time we hit the shops at Bondi Junction. This bubbly friend of mine is a total cosmetics guru and she’s an absolute expert when it comes to beauty products. I always love learning new tips and tricks from her. Plus she is so much fun to be around. We’ve known each other for over twenty years, and even though there have been periods of time when we haven’t seen each other, we always manage to pick up where we left off. I had a really great week and it was so much better than last week when I was feeling sick. It felt amazing to get out and be well enough to enjoy some fun things and try new places to eat. But what truly made this week special was hanging out with some wonderful friends. Having friends who lift you up and make life more enjoyable is one of the

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Happenings And Highlights

Hey there friends, welcome back! Can you believe that another week has already passed by? And here we are again for today’s Friday favourites. Personally, I have mixed feelings about how fast this week went by. On the one hand, I’m thrilled to be here with you to share my latest happenings and highlights. But on the other hand, I’m on term break right now and I don’t want the holidays to end so fast! Nevertheless, I’m so glad that you have stopped by today, so let’s dive right into this week’s recap shall we? Happenings And Highlights Good Friday It was so great to get together with my family for lunch on Good Friday. We had so much yummy food and spent lots of time chatting, taking turns cuddling our favourite puppy and we even watched a movie together. This was a huge highlight and I was so glad that I got a chance to see my family on Friday because on Saturday I woke up sick! A Cold Can you believe that I got a cold over the weekend? Just in time for the first few days of my much anticipated holidays!! It wasn’t a terrible cold and it was mainly just my head and sinuses aching as well as feeling generally bleh. But it was still so annoying! So I stayed home over the rest of the Easter weekend. And I drank lots of cups of warm cozy tea with lemon and honey. Binge Watching   And I also binge-watched ‘The Stranger’ on Netflix. It’s an eight-part British mystery thriller based on the Harlen Coben novel. I haven’t read any of his books but I sure am enjoying all of the limited series on Netflix that are based on his books! So far I have also watched ‘Stay Close’ and ‘Safe’ and I can recommend them all. I love a good limited series with a nice twist at the end! A Fun Performance Steve and I had plans to go to Manly for a few days. And We were both really looking forward to it. But he ended up not being able to get the time off from work as another one of the workers had a family emergency and had to go overseas. So we are hoping to get away another time. Anyway, that meant that I was free on Tuesday night and so I went along to see my friend perform at a bar called The Gasoline Pony. She has such a lovely voice and I really enjoyed her performance. We both go to the same bible study group and it was so encouraging to see most of the group there also supporting her. Burgers! On Wednesday Steve had the day off from work. So we went into Circular Quay to try out some burgers at Wahlburgers. We had a fun time and the burgers were delicious. This cheese sauce was divine. I have never tasted anything so deliciously cheesy before! We shared a choc-strawberry milkshake because I love strawberries and Steve loves chocolate. Then we finished off with this huge dessert made up of doughnut strips, bananas, ice cream and caramel syrup. Yum! I enjoyed looking around the restaurant at the photos of the Wahlberg family and some other memorabilia. When we left the restaurant the sun was setting and Sydney harbour looked so pretty. Rainbows Thursday I walked to our local Woolworths metro to pick up some cinnamon for a gluten-free pear cake that I wanted to make. On my way home I spotted some pretty rainbows and I sent a photo to my lovely friend. She sends me rainbow pics when she spots them too and they always make me so happy. We both say that they are signs from heaven and our mums saying hello to us. I like that a lot so I said hello back to my mum. It was so cloudy on the other side of the street but I could still see the rainbow! After I bought the cinnamon and admired the rainbows on the way home. I stepped into the house and suddenly it started to rain. The sound of the rain was so soothing and I loved listening to it as I made the cake. With the smell of cinnamon and pears wafting through my home. It truly felt like the perfect autumn day. Gluten-Free Pear cake The cake was really delicious too and we had it with a nice creamy dollop of vanilla ice cream on the side. It’s full of some nice wholesome ingredients and I love that the recipe is very simple. I don’t like complicated recipes so this one is perfect! It got big thumbs up from Steve and Sam so I will be making it again for sure. You can find the recipe here. Spare This morning I went to pick up a copy of Prince Harry’s book ‘Spare’ from our local library. Because I finally got an email from them saying that it was available. I had been on the waiting list since it was first released. So I’m really excited to read it over the weekend. Even though I was battling an annoying cold. I still managed to enjoy a couple of nice outings. But to be honest I have also really loved being at home. It is just the best treat to be able to enjoy my days without having to feel the pressure of the working routine. I have to keep reminding myself that I have time and I don’t need to get this or that done right this very minute. It often takes me a while to relax and stop acting like I have a schedule chasing me! I hope that you guys also had a great week and are excited about the upcoming weekend. I don’t have any big plans. So I guess it’s still more cozy days at home for me. Hope to ‘see’ you back here on Monday! Happy Friday! Linking

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Happy Easter Weekend

Hey friends Happy Easter weekend! I have a few quick favourites to share before I jump off and go spend time with my family. I’m On Holidays! Oh my goodness Term one has left me exhausted and I am very excited to be off from work for two weeks! So this has to be at the top of my list for today’s Friday favourites! The Chips Were Great! Last time we went out for our monthly dinner at the club with friends. The chips I ordered with my meal were like cardboard and really bad quality due to a major chip shortage in restaurants and supermarkets. But this time they were back and boy were they good! The Walking Dead I honestly never ever thought that I would watch this show. I’m all for action, adventure and drama but definitely not flesh-eating zombies. No way! But when Sam asked me to watch this series with him I was all in. I will never take for granted that my 18-year-old wants to watch a series with his mum. And the best part is, it is actually a really good show and I’m loving it! Every episode so far has ended on a cliffhanger and Sam and I end up yelling at the television…WHAT! NO!! I’m sure we will be binge-watching this like crazy for the  next two weeks while I’m on holidays. Fun Australian Autumn Fact We don’t have many native deciduous trees and we mainly have evergreens. So we don’t get all the pretty changing colours of the leaves on the trees in autumn, not where I live in Sydney anyway. And although I complain about the cold a lot. Our coldest autumn days are probably warmer than some summer days in other parts of the world. So as I was walking to work the other morning I snapped a few pics of the trees. See how green they are and some of them are even blooming pretty purple flowers! Date Night Steve and I went out to dinner in Newtown to a place called Pastizzi Cafe and I wore my fun orange top. I don’t usually wear a lot of colours as I like to stick to neutrals. But I really love this T-shirt that I bought from Mitchell Road Antiques a couple of years ago. Dinner was great and we both ordered the veal which came with creamy mashed potato, vegetables and lots of delicious sauce. Swiss Miss I went to Costco again! I don’t think that I have ever made this many trips to Costco in a year ever before. And this time I found my favourite hot chocolate which we can’t get at any of our other supermarkets. I have been on the hunt for this deliciously sweet hot chocolate. I either missed out last year because they were sold out or it didn’t make it to the Costco shelves over here. So I was very excited to find it in stock this time and I’m sure that this massive tin will last me a while. Easter Treats These mini KitKat eggs were good! One of my gorgeous little preschoolers gave me a Ferrero Rocher Easter egg. And these are my absolute favourite chocolates! I have been having one every night as a treat. And a lovely preschool parent parent gave us some cute Easter biscuits. Happy Easter Weekend! Easter is a special time because it’s a time to celebrate the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and to be reminded of the hope and joy that comes with his resurrection! Easter is all about the power of forgiveness and redemption, and the incredible love that God has for each and every one of us! Well, it’s time for me to sign off and go spend time with my family on this Good Friday. We’re all gathering for lunch, and I can’t wait to enjoy some delicious food and  a fun time together!  Thank you so much for stopping by today-I really appreciate it and I hope that you all have an amazing weekend! linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Weekly Favourites

Hello friends and welcome to Friday! As the week comes to an end, it’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share my weekly favourites. It’s been a long week but the great news is that we have made it to the end. And now it’s finally time to unwind, recharge and catch up on some much-needed sleep without that alarm going off! Thriving House Plants First up on my list of weekly favourites is my house plants. I am so excited that my lovely plants are not just surviving, they are actually thriving! Now I know that I have mentioned this before but in fact, I have not been great at looking after my green friends in the past. But since I discovered the magic of a weekly watering schedule everything has changed. I mean, it’s obvious, right? How could I have not done this in the past? Duh! A Fashion Game Changer On my list of weekly favourites is Hollywood fashion tape. See this top I haven’t worn it for ages and the reason is that when I bent over even slightly, you could see all the way down to my belly button. Not good! So the other day I used the Hollywood fashion tape and what a game changer! Now I can wear my top again without worrying about any embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions. A Great Way To Start The Week Monday night my aunt invited us for dinner to welcome a friend who was visiting from Brisbane. It was such a great way to start the working week. I loved knowing that I had a fun dinner to look forward to after work on Monday. Zila A cute favourite was seeing my cousin’s puppy Zila. Apparently, she’s grown since we saw her two weeks ago. Haha, I’m not sure about that as she’s still so tiny! A Sweet Surprise Well, this beautiful surprise gift from one of my little preschool friends tops my list of weekly favourites. I absolutely love Baby Ruth chocolates, and it’s not just because my name happens to be on the label! Date Night Date night on Wednesday night was so fun! We were back at St George Motor Boat Club for some seafood and lovely views. Home Grown Dessert Eating the one and only mango from our tree with a scoop of ice cream was a big favourite. It was so deliciously sweet and refreshing. Crisp Autumn Mornings The mornings are dark and chilly now so the other day I had to snuggle into my favourite soft and fluffy robe. While the cooler weather is not a big favourite this beautiful sunrise was. I went outside to take a photo this time because my kitchen window is less than sparkling and I didn’t want it to mess up the view. Spring Fashion In Autumn Even though it may be Autumn where I am, I had so much fun joining the Monthly Musings linkup to chat about essential spring fashion pieces. I just love all things fashion and spring is such a beautiful season. In case you missed it you can read all about it here. And that’s about it for my weekly favourites. I don’t have any plans for the weekend ao I am really looking forward to doing things like catching up on reading my favourite blogs, getting on top of my own posts and spending time in the kitchen baking something. It’s that time of the year when the cooler weather makes me feel like baking or cooking up some comfort food. And of course, I want to spend some time resting-it’s the perfect recipe for a relaxing weekend! I hope you guys have a great weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday everyone! **Please note that some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services that I personally use and love. Thank you for your support!**      

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