Friday Favourites

Hey, there friends it’s time for some quick Friday favourites! Let’s go. 1 Working with my besties makes me so happy! Due to some staffing changes, it just so happens that I am now working with some of my favourite people in the whole world. They light up my days and make me smile all day long. 2 Food always makes me so happy! These olives from Sandhurst are amazing! 3 Fresh fruit and vegetables also make me happy! 4 I bought some chocolates for Halloween next Tuesday. They were on sale at half-price this week at Woolworths. I caved and I bought a bag of mini KitKats for myself….shhh! 5 We had some delicious prawns and mussels for dinner on Wednesday night. 6 Coffee!! I won’t claim that I can’t start my day without it. To be honest I don’t think it has any effect on me at all. It never makes me feel more awake in the morning nor does it stop me from sleeping if I have one in the evening. But I simply love the aroma and the taste. This coffee from Peru is delicious! 7 I love where I live! I live twenty minutes walking distance to my work in a tree-lined street full of houses. If I walk about seven minutes south of my house then I will hit a bustling city full of apartments, shops, cafes and restaurants. It’s the best of both worlds and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! 8 I bought some dark chocolate from Aldi the other day and it tastes identical to the Lindt dark chocolate which is double the price. This one comes in individually wrapped portions making it an even fancier experience. It’s a super quick favourites post today because I’ve had a few issues with my website. Technical issues are not a favourite! I am also posting much later than usual because of these issues. But better late than never, right? Anyway, here’s to an amazing weekend and a much better next week! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

Hey there friends it’s time for some Friday Favourites. Let’s go! 1 My big boy Luke, turned 30 on Monday! Wow, how did the years go by so fast?? He’s a bit taken aback about entering a new decade and getting older. Ha! I’m the one who’s shocked because I have a 30-year-old!! He came over on Monday night with his girlfriend for dinner; it was a fantastic way to start the week. Instead of a birthday cake, I bought some mini cupcakes. We enjoyed them right alongside some delicious chocolate-dipped strawberries. Luke and Bec met our new family member Mochi. She was a bit shy at first but she soon got comfortable and was happy to have new people to play with and cuddle up to. 2 Cold weather in spring is not a favourite. However, this super warm jacket with a hood sure is. The hood came in handy as I didn’t have an umbrella and it started to sprinkle when I walked home from work on Tuesday afternoon. 3 These chai latte sachets are a big favourite and I can’t get them from Woolworths when I do my online shopping order. I went to the shops after work on Wednesday as I had the car that day. Of course, I walked out with half a trolley load even though I went in just to buy the chai latte! 4 These mini frozen yoghurts taste great, are a nice sweet treat and best of all are low in calories. My husband is doing well on his weight loss journey and has lost 5 kilos. Go him! I’m helping him by not buying snacks that are less than healthy and high in calories. It’s all about smart snacking over here these days. I wrote a post all about some scrumptious snack ideas that are not only delicious but also helpful if you are keen to lose weight. The reason why my husband is on a major weight loss mission is because he’s been dealing with excruciating osteoarthritis for years, Now there’s a high possibility that he needs to have a bone fusion procedure in his right foot…shudder! Losing weight will be good for his overall health and help him to recover from surgery better. We will know more next Thursday when we see the specialist. 5 Oops, I digress, back to some more favourites. I found my old Ray-Bans that I bought a really long time ago when I was at uni. They have prescription lenses for distance and even though my close-up vision has gotten worse, my distance vision hasn’t changed much since then. Hooray for small wins when it comes to ageing! 6 My school magazine arrived in the mail yesterday and I’m looking forward to reading it tonight. I love finding out all the latest news on the school as it has grown so much since I was there. It’s also a real trip down memory lane and it’s hard to believe how long it’s been since I finished school! 7 My Peter Alexander pyjamas are a big favourite as they are so incredibly comfy. Right now, I have two sets stashed under my pillow – one for those freezing nights and another for the warm to hot ones. This week was a rollercoaster in terms of weather. On Tuesday, it felt like winter all over again. So I snuggled up in my winter PJs, bed socks, and an extra blanket. Then last night it was a completely different story and I had to play the covers-on, covers-off game all night. It wasn’t even because I was in the hot flash zone thanks to ” The Change”. Nope, this time it was all about the wild swings in spring temps. 8 This crazy is a big favourite even though she’s being mean to our girl Sushi. We are still working on them getting used to each other and still not much progress but I guess it’s only been a week. She pops up everywhere! She gave me such a fright a minute ago when she jumped up onto my desk. Peekaboo! I guess that just about wraps up some Friday favourites for this week. Thanks so much for stopping by and having a read 😊. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday and Hooray for the weekend! Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Hi, friends welcome to Friday favourites! The week just flew by and now it’s the end of the spring school holidays…boo! I have had a wonderful two weeks off from work and should say that I feel rested and excited to return to work. But no-I’m greedy and would love two weeks more! Anyway, here are a few fun things I got up to during the last week of the spring school holidays. Kmart Shopping No school holiday is complete without a shopping trip to Kmart to pick up some cheap storage and home decor. Look! Halloween decor! Most of the shops have tons of Christmas decor but I haven’t seen many Halloween things. Those pumpkins look a bit creepy. I prefer friendly-looking pumpkins like the mugs in the other pic. I spent ages deciding on which pot plant to buy for a plant that I wanted to rehome for the dining room. In the end after going back and forth, I decided on the white one with the black speckles. Choice sometimes stresses me as does lack of choice. Ha! On the way home I stopped off to water my aunt’s plants. It was such a hot day and I hadn’t watered them at all since she went on vacation. But they are succulents so I don’t think they need to be watered often (I hope). But on a hot day like Tuesday, they were probably thirsty and I didn’t want to risk my aunt coming home to dead plants! Lunch Catch Up I caught up with my wonderful friend for lunch. It was fun eating, chatting and hearing about her trip to Melbourne. I had the vegetable fritters and my friend had a dish called avocado heaven. They both looked so beautifully presented and colourful! I enjoyed the matcha latte and my friend’s hot lemonade looked so pretty with the orange and mint garnish. She gave me a sip and it was deliciously tangy and sweet. After lunch, we had a quick look around the shops in Westfield Miranda where we spotted some quirky Christmas tree ornaments. I wondered what a Christmas tree with all these tropical-looking decorations would look like. Very tropical I guess! It would be a perfect fit for our hot Australian Christmas but I prefer traditional Christmas trees with red, green and gold ornaments. A Trip To The Airport My cousins landed back home from Europe on Thursday and my other cousins came back from New Zealand today. It’s nice to know that most of my family are now back home. It felt so strange with all of them away! Anyway on Thursday I took two buses to the airport to surprise and welcome three of my cousins who were flying in at 8.15 pm from the last leg of their trip around Europe. Even if I had access to the car which I didn’t because my husband had taken it to work. There is no way that I would ever try and drive to the Sydney International Airport. It is so busy, congested and just plain frantic. With daylight saving, I felt totally safe catching public transport. I got to the airport before 8.00 pm and it was just starting to get dark. Inside it was so busy with people waiting for their loved ones. I felt like I was watching that famous scene from the movie ‘Love Actually’. People were hugging and cheering when they spotted their people. Then there were tears of joy and little kids running towards their grandparents. Husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends hugging and crying. It was really beautiful to watch and I was tearing up every time I saw a reunion! I waited about an hour and a half and then I finally spotted my cousin and his lovely girlfriend first. I did the big leap, happy dance and ” Hey guys, over here!!”. Then we waited for my other cousin who was further back and wooohoo we were all finally together!! We caught an Uber back and I heard a few fun snippets about their trip. It felt like a preview to our cousin connect gathering that’s happening tomorrow night. I can hardly wait! Sam Turned 19 Today is Sam’s birthday and the four of us got together for an early dinner. Sam chose a favourite Chinese restaurant that we used to go to every year for my mum’s birthday. He said he wanted to eat Chinese food in honour of his late grandma. How sweet! We even ordered all of the dishes that she chose every time. We had lemon chicken, chicken chow mein, sweet and sour pork and boiled rice. It was a fun time and here they are teasing their dad about something. These two make me laugh when they get together. We gave Sam a card with some money because he didn’t know what he wanted when I asked him. So now he can buy whatever he likes. We came home to sing Happy Birthday and eat cake. It was a great week that went by all too fast (I think that I say that every week). I’m excited about the weekend, especially our family get-together tomorrow night! Next week it’s the beginning of the last term of the school year. As hard as I find it going back to the routine and the early starts. I have to admit that term four is always my favourite. It’s not just because it’s the last term of the year, it’s also because it’s the most fun! Before we know it we will be right into all the Christmas crafts and end-of-year celebrations. Now I just have to remember this when Monday rolls around!! Have a great weekend friends and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika              

Hi friends and welcome to Friday favourites! Today I’m excited to be sharing some spring school holiday favourites! So get ready to be bombarded with a whole bunch of sunny pics! 1 I started the week shopping with my super fun cosmetics guru friend. 2 We spotted these hilarious shopping bags and now I know that I want one of these for Christmas! 3 We both bought the same jeans! I love the flared 70’s look with the two front pockets and they were reduced from $79.99 to $49.99. I also had a $10 Myer voucher so I got them for $39.99! 4 After all that shopping we were both starving so we stopped for lunch at a cafe in the QVB. I ordered the delicious chicken and leek pie with Mediterranean salad because I have a clear obsession with chicken and leek! 5 On Thursday I caught up with my lovely friend and her dad for lunch and a visit. Earlier this year my friend gave me a beautiful painting her dad the artist had painted. It wasn’t signed, so when I went to visit him, I took my treasured painting for him to sign. I love going to see him but I always feel sad saying goodbye. 6 I went to Williams Sonoma and loved their Christmas table setting and famous peppermint bark display. I’m still having trouble getting my head around the fact that it’s that fun time of the year again when the shops are full of festive decor! 7 We had a fun game night with some friends. We started by playing Speed Monopoly which wasn’t so speedy because two of us couldn’t get the hang of it. So we switched to Bananagrams and that was way more fun! 8 I had a fun Friday with my cousin and her kids. I also got to meet her sweet mother-in-law who is visiting from Ohio. I could listen to her speak all day long because I just love her accent! The first stop was Ikea to pick up a couple of things and of course to look at more Christmas things! 9 The next stop was a visit to The Grounds Of Alexandria. They always have the best themes and this time it was all about Candyland! It was so warm and sunny! A perfect spring day. Burgers and fries for lunch. They have a florist inside The Grounds. These rainbow roses were so beautiful. 10 Our last stop was Costco, so many favourite places to visit in one day! More Christmas decor. This giant Christmas Mini Mouse was over $1000, we said hi and bye! This week was full of so many spring school holiday favourites. I had the best time hanging out with some of my favourite people and to top it off, the weather was amazing! I don’t think that I will have such a busy second week of the school holidays but you never know! I do however want the time to slow down a bit because before I know it I will be back at work! But I don’t want to think about that just yet! Thanks for hanging out with me and letting me share some of my favourites today. Happy Friday everyone! Linking up with Andrea and Erika      

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

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

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!