Friday Favourites

Hey there, friends! Happy Friday! As of 3:46 PM today, I’m officially on autumn break – time to finally take a breather! I’m excited to join Andrea and Erika for Friday Favourites. Can you believe I only managed to remember to snap three photos this week? It’s been quite a week, and I seem to be saying that a lot lately. Probably because term one of preschool has been quite interesting! Haha, I was trying to come up with a way to describe it, but I think I will stick to calling it ‘interesting’. Anyway, I made it through, and now it’s time to enjoy the break! Two Favourites It’s going to be a short and sweet Friday Favorites post today because I’m feeling pretty tired. Next week, I’ll be back to share all about our latest Cousin Connect get-together and a life update. Even though I’m sure I had plenty of favourite moments during the week, I forgot to take photos, and now I feel as if everything is a blur. So, for today, I’m sharing two favourites and three photos. My husband bought a new phone, a Samsung Galaxy something (I can’t recall the full name). His old phone was about 6 or 7 years old and didn’t have any sound. So he couldn’t hear it when it rang, which was pretty annoying whenever I tried to call him. It was definitely time for an upgrade. I think I was more excited about his new phone than he was! I used his phone to capture a photo of a massive drop of water that was on the plant by our front door. After a torrential downpour the night before, this huge drop of rain must have accumulated on the leaf. Isn’t it amazing! What’s also amazing is that as I was about to take the photo with Steve’s fancy new phone, I said “Wow” out loud, and guess what? The phone just went ahead and took the picture all on its own! I was so surprised and I thought it must have been a fluke so I tried it again and yep, it did the same thing. WOW!! Midweek dinner out with friends was a fun favourite! Cheers! Oh my goodness, that night I had the best burger I’ve had in a very long time! I mean, it might just be my favourite burger ever, I think! The burger patty was so tender and full of flavour. It was cooked so that it was quite rare, which is not a thing over here. All our burgers are always well done and if we ever see any pink in the middle of the patty it’s an instant cause for panic and fears of immediate food poisoning. But we were in a very nice restaurant and this burger was no ordinary burger. I can still vividly remember the flavour of the truffle aioli! So good! The shoestring fries were also divine, crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. My only complaint and that of my friends was that it needed a pickle on the side for some crunch and acidity. Haha, we sat there critiquing the burger as if we were food critics. The plush atmosphere must have gone to our heads or maybe it was the Aperol spritz! Nah, it really needed a pickle! And that’s it for today friends! A very short and sweet look at two favourites. I hope you have an amazing weekend and thank you so much for stopping by. I’m going to hop off, have a shower, eat dinner and watch an old favourite movie. I haven’t decided which one yet but I’m sticking to an oldie because chances are that I will fall asleep halfway through, if not before! Happy Friday!  

Hi, friends! Welcome to Friday Favourites! I’m so thrilled that this short week actually felt shorter. Usually, four-day workweeks drag on like any other, but not this time. Although I must admit, I was a bit confused about what day it was throughout the week. But all that confusion disappears today because it’s my favourite day of the week. Friday, I love you! This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Ok, so it’s time to share a few favourites, thanks so much for being here! Up until today (it’s pouring with rain at the moment!) I had been thoroughly enjoying perfect autumn weather where the mornings and evenings are cool yet the days are so warm! I had been checking the forecast constantly, trying to brace myself for a sudden drop in temperatures as I’m not a fan of the cold. Thankfully, apart from today, it has been smooth sailing. I’m so happy that according to the weather forecast, next week will still bring temperatures in the mid-20s (celsius that is) phew! Warm autumn weather means that flowers are still blooming. On Wednesday I mentioned that I had replanted the ivy from its tiny cramped pot into a more spacious one, hoping that it would finally take off and flourish. I’ve had it for over a year and it’s still only small. The other plant I keep on the open shelves in the kitchen is thriving and I love the touch of greenery it adds to this space. Green is good! I can’t get enough dark chocolate! or coffee! My sweet, kind friends bought me a bag of coffee beans. I had been wanting to grind my own coffee beans so it was the perfect excuse to buy a manual coffee grinder. Ahh, there’s nothing like the smell of freshly ground coffee. It’s just amazing! Another cozy favourite this week was enjoying a cup of frothy hot chocolate while watching TV. I used this butter chicken blend from Gewurzhaus Spice House and our butter chicken tasted so good! The mix of spices makes cooking up tasty meals super easy. I also love their speedy spaghetti blend. One of my favourite things to do is have a movie playing on my iPad while I cook. The other day I made a spinach, feta and ricotta pie to take to my aunts for our Easter lunch. While I was cooking I watched my favourite movie ‘Volver’ with Penelope Cruz. Have you seen it? Tomorrow night, I’m hosting Cousin Connect, we usually play a board game after dinner. This time, I thought that we could switch things up a bit by playing a new game. My wonderful work friend and supplier of all fun resources lent me her game of Hedbanz. I’m planning to use the headbands from Hedbanz to play a variation of Celebrity Heads. Today when we had a spare minute at work, I asked some of my work buddies to write the names of celebrities on cards. I haven’t peeked at what they wrote so that I can play and join in the fun too! I’m going to jump off (crawl more likely as it’s been a day!) the computer and tackle a couple of chores, then it’s couch time for this tired chook! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika    

Hi friends, it’s great to be back linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some Friday favourites! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week and are super excited about the weekend. I know that I sure am! *Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them – at no extra cost to you. Just like that the weather changed and Thursday was the first day when it felt like Autumn. Even though it’s been so hot, humid and sticky, I’m not ready to give up summer because I love long hot sunny days, they’re just the best! Thursday the temperature dropped to 15ºC during the night and only got as high as 21ºC during the day. For us that’s cold so out came the puffer jackets and I had my first hot chocolate for the season. Cold weather might not be a favourite but hot chocolate sure is! As I was walking to work I spotted this beautiful tree blooming with purple flowers. You’d think it was spring! In Sydney, we don’t seem to have a lot of typical autumn-coloured trees. Instead, we have a bit of everything, from evergreen trees to deciduous trees and even trees that bloom like this one. Wednesday night date night at Allawah Pub has become a favourite. It’s so close to home, it has a nice vibe and the food never disappoints. I love these Ikea baking dishes. They come with a lid and they fit perfectly inside the fridge. Having an organised fridge is a huge favourite! Meals like this chicken dish where I don’t have to use more than one baking dish are a favourite. Hot on the heels of my one-baking dish chicken meal success, I thought I would copy some food reels that I had watched on Instagram where they cook the pasta in the bolognese sauce. They don’t bother boiling the pasta separately. Uh uh, big mistake! It made the sauce all thick and gluggy because of the starch in the pasta. Something I had not considered! I was home alone for dinner and I ate a bowl of one-pot pasta bolognese. As much as I love bolognese, this was far from great. In fact, it wasn’t even good. Bleh! So I remembered my husband’s advice whenever there is an epic kitchen fail – just add cheese and bake in the oven. I took it a step further and also added cream. It tasted like lasagna and all was well in the world again. My biggest favourite for the week is this can of Sscat. It’s an amazing motion-activated unscented spray that keeps pets away from off-limit areas. See this girl here. She’s very naughty! Mochi is not like our other cat Sushi who is calm and well-behaved. We have tried everything to deter our newish kitten Mochi from jumping on the kitchen counters and I mean everything. From covering the counters with foil, sticky tape and contact (all the things cats supposedly can’t stand). But nothing worked, what’s even more frustrating is that she clearly knew she was doing the wrong thing. Because she would jump off the counter the minute she heard any of us approaching. So I finally had enough and I ordered the Sscat Spray Deterrent from Amazon. Yes, it’s pricey but boy it sure does work! Now I’m not constantly running in the kitchen like a crazy person every time I hear Mochi jump. After a couple of sprays, she has finally worked out that the kitchen counter is a no-go zone. I’m so happy that now I don’t come home from work to a whole lot of little paw prints all over the glass cooktop, the chopping board and the white counters. Nothing grosses me out more than pets in food prep areas. YUCK! Another unexpected bonus is that it’s deterring Steve from opening the fridge after he got sprayed a couple of times. It’s working wonders for his weight loss journey! That’s a wrap for now, thanks so much for stopping by today and I look forward to being back here on Monday. I hope you all have a wonderful, restful and fun weekend!  

Hey there friends! It’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika and share some Friday faves! Last Saturday I caught up with my former boss at a nearby café. She used to be the director at the preschool where I work. I vividly remember when she announced her retirement at a staff meeting: we were all completely taken aback, thinking, “You’re joking, right?” Needless to say, we were all pretty sad to see her go. But fast forward 10 years and I think it’s pretty cool to be able to call your ex-boss your friend, isn’t it? Gosh! Time just flew and before we realised it, four hours had passed without us even noticing because we had been chatting nonstop! We had met up at 10 and ordered a coffee with something sweet – I had a delicious blueberry friand and we completely missed lunch! Never mind, I guess we’ll just have to catch up again for lunch another day. It was a beautiful and very hot Autumn morning at Oatley Baths. Yep, it was another fun Sunday morning watching my husband race at the swim club. I spotted a cute duck family of four. Cute duck families are a big favourite! After the races, it was time for a BBQ lunch. Yummo! We grabbed an early dinner at Allawah Pub on Sunday before heading into the city to see FIVE perform. Double gravy for me!! When we got off the train I noticed that it’s getting darker a lot earlier these days even though it’s still so hot. Hmmm, I’m not really excited about shorter and cooler days that are just around the corner. FIVE performed at the Metro Theatre in the city, and Steve and I had the best time! I think everybody there knew all of the words to all of the songs. So the crowd pretty much drowned out the band! Haha, I had so much fun singing and dancing along with everyone else. By the time we left, I could hardly hear or talk and we were so sweaty!! On the way home on the train, my Apple Watch told me that I had doubled my move goal. I wasn’t surprised!! Fun moments at work are always a favourite. One of the best things about working at preschool is that even on tough days, we will always find something to laugh about, like this gingerbread man. The other day the kids from the other class made gingerbread men and this little guy looks as if he came out of the oven dancing. Good-looking avocados are a favourite! Wednesday night it was time for nachos and more guacamole. A box of Favourites for Friday faves! The chocolates were a thoughtful gift from a kind preschool parent to say thank you and well done on surviving A&R! I’m excited to get together with my family tomorrow for our March Cousin Connect. Then on Sunday, I’m going to my aunt and uncle’s for lunch. The last time I visited them was back in November last year, so it will be great to see them! I also want to catch up on some of my favourite blogs. There are never enough hours in the day and I’m always behind. Then to top it all off, this year I am also doing further study. But I’ll share about that another day – It’s Friday night over here and now it’s time to relax! Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you have the best weekend!

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links, at no extra cost to you. Hi, friends! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Favourites. It’s great to be back and share some highlights from the week with you all. Phew! It sure has been a busy week at work meeting all the lovely new children and of course, we’re back to square one teaching them the routines, and comforting them when they say goodbye to their parents. As well as reassuring them that they will have a fantastic time and that their mum, dad, grandma or grandpa will most definitely pick them up. No, they have not been left at preschool forever! Now it’s time to shift gears and jump into some of this week’s favourites! A new preschool year means a new coffee mug for me! I have still kept my other mug that says “Happy”. But this year I’ve switched to this cute one I got from one of my gorgeous preschoolers for Halloween last year. I was cleaning out my drawers the other day and I found this framed poem my oldest son wrote for me when he was about 10 years old. I love it so much! Haha, it seems that my hair has always been a cause of concern for me, especially when it rains! I know I’ve shared this before, but I have to mention it again: Hollywood Fashion Tape is the best, and it’s my wardrobe favourite. I used it the other day, once more, to prevent my top from gaping. Gaping tops are one of my biggest issues because I don’t have a lot going on in my chest area. So, if you’re like me, then this fashion tape is for you! Berry smoothies on a hot day are my favourite! Dinner out with friends was a highlight this week. I even got a free cocktail from the club we went to because they treat members with a free drink when it’s their birthday month. Nice! The sizzling satay chicken came on a hot cast iron dish that was big on the sizzle.   I tried this honey ginger tea the other day and it was great! You can add as much as you like to your boiling water to adjust how sweet you want your tea. I got overly excited and added too much so the sweetness level was extreme. But next time I won’t be so generous because a little goes a long way. It has a nice subtle taste of ginger and it will be a great drink for winter. So I’m saving it for the cold months when all the bugs and germs are floating around. A dose of ginger is good for the immune system.   I found my lipsticks! A while ago we shared what we have inside our handbags. Well, it seems that I love carrying around lipstick in every handbag. Usually, I stick to my small brown crossbody bag, which fits only one. However, during the summer holidays, I switched bags a lot and threw lipstick into each one. The other day, when I was getting ready for work. I couldn’t find a single one in my usual container. I ended up rummaging through all my bags until I found my stash. This has also highlighted that I need to go through and clean out my handbags! This chicken dish was a family favourite this week. I don’t always follow recipes, instead, I usually cook just as I watched my mum cook when I was growing up –  a bit of this and a dash of that! I seasoned the chicken generously with garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Added a few herbs, and then I threw in some sliced onion, capsicum, canned chickpeas and half a tin of crushed tomatoes. I covered it in foil cooked it in the oven and served it with rice. It was so easy and I was happy with the flavour. Plus I only had one dish to wash up – bonus!! This sweet potato may not be very good looking but it sure tasted great when I peeled, cut and roasted it in the oven. Sweet potatoes are fantastic because they are so nutritious and do amazing things such as support digestion, boost immunity and they are also good for heart health. After watching the Netflix show ‘Live To 100: The Blue Zones’ where they talked about how important diet is to longevity, I’ve been aiming to cook more nutrient-rich foods like sweet potatoes. Even though I can’t find the variety of sweet potatoes that they showed in the documentary, I’m making the most of the ones we do have. Any sweet potato is better than no sweet potato! I was so happy that I slept much better this week than I did last week! Thanks so much for the good wishes for better sleep and a big thank you to Amy from Coffee and Cocktails at The Casa for the sleep tips she sent me in the comments. They were a sanity saver! That’s a wrap for some of this week’s favourites. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Linking up with Andrea and Erika