Friday Favourites

Hi there friends! It’s time for Friday favourites with Andrea and Erika and I’m so glad you’re here. I am super excited that it’s finally the weekend because it sure felt like a long week. I think that the reason why it felt so long was maybe because I had a bumpy start with Monday putting my resilience to the test. Working at preschool is always an adventure and when you throw in a rainy day. Well, you get the picture! Anyway, now it’s time to welcome the weekend and share some of this weeks favourites. 1 Monday night we caught up with a group of our friends and we went to the local RSL to enjoy a nice meal. We had finished eating and we were chatting when the women’s soccer game came on the big screen that was right in front of us. It was Australia versus Denmark and Australia won! It was fun watching the game together, cheering for our team and hearing the whole club go wild when the Aussies scored a goal. 2 This week I got a Mac desktop computer and I love it. The screen is so huge compared to my laptop! 3 This work truck has been parked on my street all week. I walk past it every day and it makes me smile because it reminds me of how much Sam loved Lightning McQueen when he was a toddler. He used to carry a little Lightning McQueen car in his hand all the time. We must have watched the movie a zillion times and I’m sure that back then I could probably recite the whole movie word for word! 4 Wednesday night Steve and I treated ourselves to a fabulous dinner. We both had lobster mornay, crunchy golden chips and salad. We decided to skip dessert and chose to go home and watch more Blue Bloods. Can you tell that we are so addicted? I popped the cork on a nice bottle of red wine from California. It’s been ages since I’ve used a corkscrew as most wines now seem to come with a screwtop lid. We enjoyed a glass (or two) while savouring the rich flavours of Lindt dark chocolate. What an amazing combination and surely it must count as a healthy treat with all those antioxidants in the red wine and dark chocolate! 5 Thursday night I nearly stayed home and skipped bible study because I felt so tired. But I’m glad that I went because it was super encouraging and challenging. This term we are looking at a book called ‘The Generosity Project’. This weeks study was all about how we can be generous with our time and efforts towards those people in our lives who are less than pleasant to be around. And that’s a wrap! I’m keeping it short and sweet today but I want to say a big thank you for stopping by to read about a few favourites from the week. I have some fun things planned for the weekend but I’m also looking forward to some relaxing downtime. And I feel like I could really use a fresh start and recharge. I didn’t blog as much as I wanted to and I got all confused with the timing of a couple of link ups. This is what happens when I miss writing my monthly plan. See here – it’s empty! Normally I write down all of the posts that I plan to write for the month. But somehow I missed August so one of my weekend goals is to get back on track. Better late than never! Hopefully I will post more often next week. I hope you have an amazing weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy Friday and happy weekend!

Hey there friends! It’s Friday, and you know what that means? Yes, it’s time for another edition of Friday favourites. This week’s list is all about some things that have brought me joy. So please grab a cup or glass of your favourite drink, sit back and let’s jump into this week’s fabulous Friday faves. 1 First up, here is my cousin’s little bundle of cuteness. I saw her when I went to my aunt’s place for dinner the other night. She gets nervous around people she’s not used to. So I gently stroked her with my finger because she’s still so tiny at eight months old. It was a cold night so a warm jumper was a must! 2 I adore frothy coffees and the frothier the better! 3 I went to the city with my lovely friend last weekend. We caught the train and got off at Museum Station. Museum Station in Sydney is a heritage-listed underground commuter rail station. It’s located in the central business district of Sydney and it’s an absolute gem. This charming underground station is a unique blend of history with a contemporary vibe. It has a stunning architectural design that beautifully showcases the station’s heritage. When I’m there, I feel as if I’ve stepped back in time! I love going to the city and the walk along Hyde Park is really pretty. Especially on a sunny and warm winter’s day! 4 Exploring the city of Sydney always brings me joy! We discovered a little mall in a hidden alleyway off George St. I had never been there before but I can’t wait to go back again and try some of the food from the delicious-looking eateries. Sydney is such a fantastic multicultural hub with incredible food from all around the world. 5 Eating delicious takeaway seafood pasta and watching TV was a big favourite this week. 6 Ice cream and Hershey’s strawberry syrup with a few walnuts to keep things healthy ha! 7 My friend Marianne invited us over for dinner on Wednesday night and she made my favourite spaghetti bolognese! For dessert, we had a very delicious and saucy chocolate pudding with fresh strawberries and ice cream. It was so fun to get together midweek but I had to keep reminding myself that even though it felt like a Friday night, it wasn’t! 8 We used to have regular chairs in the staff room/kitchen at work but this week we got some office chairs with wheels. The space is really small and now I don’t even need to get up off my office chair during my lunch break. I just wheel myself around from my laptop to the sink, microwave or back door if someone knocks from the adjoining playground. I know this sounds lazy but when you are on your feet all day. Wheeling around during my lunch break is kind of really fun and it means I can stay sitting! 9 Sesame snaps, yum! My work friend who spoils me with treats brought me a packet. 10 Even though it’s not the healthiest option, I prefer soft drinks with real sugar. My family like no-sugar options but I’m not a fan of the aftertaste. Give me my regular old favourite sugar-filled Schweppes lemonade any day! When I smell the nice laundry liquid on my freshly washed clothes, it brings me so much joy! I love catching the scent as I fold the laundry. Do you guys feel the same? I used to use fabric softener but I’ve heard that it can damage your washing machine so I stopped. I have been on the hunt for a nice-smelling laundry liquid without much luck. Until I bought these laundry capsules at Woolworths the other day. They really do leave my clothes smelling so nice! This week has been amazing! The weather has been warm and sunny, like spring in winter. At preschool, I got to team up with two of my favourite people, making it a great and enjoyable week overall. It’s been so much fun and I think that one of the things that I love about working at preschool is that we can be playful and silly! On Tuesday we did a conga line with the kids and we danced all around the two classrooms. Today we danced to the Macarena and the YMCA. It really has been a fantastic week but I sure am glad that it’s Friday because I’m beat! Have a great weekend friends and Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Hey friends I hope that you all had an amazing week. It’s unbelievable how quickly time flies, especially during the fun school holidays and now it’s time for Friday favourites! Thanks for stopping by today as I share some highlights from the past few days. 1 It’s been so warm and sunny with temps as high as 22°C and I’m loving it! It’s almost hard to believe that we are in the middle of winter. 2 I had an amazing couple of days staying with my friend at her home in Avoca Beach. We were spoiled with the most amazing blue skies and sunny weather. When we went for our walks along the beach it was still cool and so I wore layers and a jacket. But when we sat in the sun it was so lovely and warm. 3 Another big favourite was going with my friend to visit her dad who lives in a nursing home. It’s so hard not to get emotional when I visit as we share so many lovely memories and we are all more like family than friends. We went for a walk, had lunch and then played a few rounds of dominoes when we got back to the home. He is as sharp as a tack and would call out the scores in a flash. Whereas I had to use my fingers to count, numbers are not my thing! 4 I love this sunscreen spray my cousin gave me and I have been using it all week. It’s so easy to use because it sprays like a fine mist and leaves my skin feeling great. It has SPF 50+ which is perfect. 5 I had a fun night catching up with some friends over snacks and drinks. We went to a place called Miss Celie’s and listened to live music. 6 Luke and his lovely fiancee came over for dinner. Having my family together for a meal is always one of my favourite things! I cooked so much food that we had leftovers for the next two days. Ha! I definitely take after my mum, she would always do the same! 7 Sanding the door frames before painting is not really a favourite. But finally starting a project that I have been putting off for months is a favourite. I was listening to/watching MasterChef on the Ipad as I worked to make the job feel less tedious. Sushi our cat was keeping me company and when I turned away she decided to roll in the dust! 8 My cousin dropped by to give me some empanadas that she had made with her mum. My aunt makes THE best empanadas. She even makes the pastry from scratch…YUM!! 9 Our pillows were as flat as pancakes and we really needed new ones. I couldn’t resist taking advantage of Amazon’s Prime sale to order some plump cozy pillows. 10 I went to Aldi for the first time in months and I picked up these prawn, scallop and lobster bisque pots. We had them for dinner last night and they were so delicious! I loved them so much that I went back today to pick up some more. I also bought some Chinotto which I used to drink often and then forgot all about. Chinotto has an interesting taste which I really like, it’s sweet and bitter at the same time. 11 When I went to Bunnings to buy the sander to use for the door frames I also picked up some pretty Daisies. I’ve put them outside the front door because they need full sun and our front door gets lots of sunshine. The ones that I bought last year didn’t do very well in our shady courtyard. And that’s a wrap for some of my favourite highlights. As I said before I can hardly believe how fast this week has flown by and just like that my four weeks off from work have ended 😢. But I’m not going to think about that until 6.30 am on Monday morning when that dreaded alarm goes off! Instead, I’m going to savour every minute of the weekend! I hope you guys have a great weekend too! Happy Friday Linking up with Andrea and Erika    

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

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

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

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!

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!