Hello Monday

Hi everyone, I hope that you all had a great weekend! It’s great to be back for this week’s Hello Monday link-up with Holly and Sarah. Thanks so much for being here today as I recap what I got up to this sunny weekend here in Sydney. Yes, hooray I’m happy to report that we finally had a very sunny weekend. After such a rainy and cold week, It was just fantastic to enjoy some lovely warm weather! Saturday We had our monthly family dinner on Saturday night. And I was really excited that we were able to eat outside in our little courtyard because the weather was so good. Every time it was our turn to host our family get-together this year. We always had dinner in our small dining room because it was either too cold or rainy to sit outside in the courtyard. Fingers crossed that we will get more chances to use this cute space now that the weather is supposed to be getting better. And hopefully, we can finally say adios to La Niña. On Saturday night I was having too much fun and forgot to take as many pictures as I usually do. But I did manage to remember to snap a few. I made a cheese board to start with. Everyone was so impressed with my salami rose! Haha, I have to admit that I was too! I can’t remember where I saw instructions for how to make one of these but it was very easy. I remembered to take one blurry photo just before everyone sat down to eat. The sun was setting and as we were all gathering, the solar fairy lights came on as if on cue. It was such a pretty night! After dinner, we played our favourite board game which involved lots of laughing, yelling and cheering! Sunday I mentioned on Friday that I joined my husband’s swim club as a social member. This means that I don’t have to swim but I can go along to all their fun BBQs and social outings. Sunday morning, we were up bright and early. I’m talking 6.30 am early! Which was a bit tough, especially after such a busy Saturday evening. It was such a gorgeous sunny day that in the end, I didn’t mind not sleeping in at all. What I really like about this swim club is that they don’t meet at a pool. Instead, they race At Oatley Park Baths which is an enclosed part of the local river. It’s about a 15-minute drive from our house and it’s such a lovely spot. As we drove along it almost felt like we were going on a holiday. When we got to Oatley park we parked the car near the ‘Castle’ which is a sheltered BBQ and picnic spot. Then we walked over to the swimming area. The scenery was stunning and I felt so relaxed being outdoors. I had fun watching the races and I was very proud of Steve because he was one of the winners of the chook race! He won a voucher from a nearby chicken shop so this means that we will all be enjoying a chicken dinner very soon. Yum! Once all the races were finished we got to eat a BBQ breakfast! We had eggs, bacon, sausages and bread rolls. So good!! One of the very friendly ladies I met from the swim club even made me a mimosa. It was such a great Sunday morning. Sunday night I was home alone because Sam was at his friend’s 18th birthday party and Steve was at work. So I cozied up on a bean bag to watch the grand final of The Block. I haven’t kept up with all of the episodes during the week. But I have watched enough of them to know the contestants and what’s been going on. If you watch The Block you will know that the show is about five couples who have spent the last three months renovating properties that were supposed to win them a lot of money on Sunday night at the auction. But most of them except two couples walked away with a very little profit or their properties weren’t even sold. Certainly made interesting viewing and it reflects how tough the property market is at the moment. That just about wraps up some of the fun things that I got up to this sunny weekend. I can’t believe we are now into the second week of November. The days are going by so fast that my brain can’t keep up. I keep checking and rechecking the calender and saying things like “what!!…. I thought that was ages away” But no, the events that I thought were still ages away are now creeping up fast. Anyway, I’m sure that you will agree with me that this is a fun time of the year. And I am really looking forward to lots of festivities and get-togethers leading up to Christmas. Happy Monday friends!                                                                                          

Hi friends, I am so happy that we had such a beautiful sunny weekend! We haven’t had the best start to spring and the days have been a real mixture of some really wet and cold days with the occasional sunny day. But this weekend the weather was absolutely glorious and it finally felt like spring! Friday Night I was so exhausted on Friday night but I really wanted to get on top of some laundry and other household chores. Because the best weekends are the ones free from housework! I didn’t have to bother with cooking because luckily I had a delicious chicken pie in the freezer. I bought it from the farmer’s market last weekend so all I did was quickly pop it in the oven. Then I roasted some potatoes and sweet potatoes. Steamed some veggies and we had a delicious dinner ready in no time. I always try to make Friday night dinners as easy as possible. That way I can get all caught up on other things that I need to do around the house. I even managed to clean my washing machine after I had done a couple of loads of laundry. It was starting to smell a bit dodgy so I cleaned the filter and poured this product into the drum and ran the cleaning cycle. It smelled lovely and fresh once it was all done and I found $2.00 and a bobby pin in the filter. I was excited about my little payment for cleaning the machine. Saturday It was such a warm day and so I was able to wear shorts and sandals for the first time this season! It was great to ditch the winter clothes this sunny weekend. Steve and I decided to go to the farmers market and make the most of being outdoors and enjoy the warm weather. I was extra keen to get back to the markets because I wanted to grab another chicken pie! Luckily when I got to the stall there was one left. The nice lady said she had sold out of all the other family-sized pies. I can totally understand why. It’s because they are so good! I really want to try the beef one so I’ll have to make sure we get to the markets earlier next time. I also bought some blueberries that I needed for Sunday’s pavlova. One fruit stall was selling a large punnet for $25 but luckily I found another stall that had them for $16. Which is still expensive but not as bad as paying $25! These smoked almonds that I bought were great too. I used up all the candles that I bought from TK Maxx a few weeks ago. So I bought this lovely soy candle and it smells so good. We stopped for a quick bite to eat before we left the market to go home. Steve and I shared a delicious gozleme and had a couple of coffees to go with it. Online Grocery Order Saturday afternoon I got my online grocery order delivered. It’s so great that I hardly ever have to go to the grocery store anymore. I joined Woolworths unlimited last year and this means that I can order as many times as I want and delivery is free. As long as I order over $50 worth of groceries. This isn’t hard at all because prices have just gone up so much in the last few months. Prepping For Sunday Lunch Saturday evening I made some lamb shanks in red wine sauce for Lukes’s birthday lunch which we were having on Sunday. I have only ever cooked lamb shanks in a slow cooker before. But my slow cooker broke about a year ago and I still haven’t replaced it. The lamb shanks were so easy to make in the oven. So much easier than I had anticipated. I just seasoned them with garlic, salt and pepper and put them in a large baking dish. Then I made the sauce in a saucepan and poured it over the shanks. I covered the baking dish in foil and popped them in the oven. And they were fall apart tender after about two hours. Easy peasy! Sunday We were all super excited that Luke and his lovely fiancee were coming over for lunch. Before they arrived I made some creamy mashed potatoes and steamed some peas to go with the lamb shanks. I have this super easy mashed potato recipe that guarantees the most creamy and fluffy mashed potato ever. Also, the best thing about this easy recipe is that you don’t even need to use a masher. You can find the recipe here. We had a delicious fruity pavlova for Luke’s birthday cake. It’s his favourite and it’s mine too! The great thing is that pavlovas are just so easy to put together. I just bought the base, whipped the cream and added some fresh fruit. I’m still having trouble believing that Luke turned 29! A Fun Trip To ‘The Gamesmen’ After lunch, Steve went to work and the rest of us hopped in the car and went to one of our favourite stores called ‘The Gamesmen’. It’s such a cool shop where they sell consoles, games, lego etc. Luke wanted to buy a game for his new console. There is also a very interesting gaming museum at the back of the store which I love looking at. They have consoles and games dating all the way back to the 70s and early 80s when gaming was just beginning. I saw some game and watch just like the one that I used to spend hours playing when I was a kid. I still have it but sadly it doesn’t work anymore. I’m sure I must have worn the poor thing out. Yes, I really love all things gaming! I spotted this Nintendo 64 which is exactly the same as the one that I bought Luke when he was little. Look

Hi everyone it’s so great to be here for today’s Hello Monday link-up with Holly and Sarah. I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. After having a fantastic two weeks off from work now it’s time to jump right into Term Four 2022! But first,  I’m really glad that you are here today and I’m excited to share with you a bit about my weekend. SATURDAY It was a cloudy day right from the morning. The sun was desperately trying to get through from behind the thick clouds and there were tiny patches of blue but in the end, the clouds won. Friends, I think that spring has totally left us! It has been raining nonstop and it’s still quite cool. I hope that this doesn’t mean that we will start term four stuck indoors at preschool. Before all the rain set in I woke up really inspired to get moving. I was determined to squeeze in a bit more holiday fun so I went to our local farmers market around midday. I parked the car and walked through the park to get there. It’s been raining for days so the grounds are soaked and there was a massive puddle of water amongst the trees. I saw a couple of ducks enjoying a swim in the big puddle. There is a walking track that I should investigate one day when the weather is good. The farmers market is only about a 10-minute drive from where we live. Because the weather was so uncertain there were a lot of stalls missing. Some were even packing up when I arrived. They were trying to beat the rain for sure! MY FARMER’S MARKET HAUL The good thing about getting there later was that the stall holders were trying to get rid of their produce fast and they were offering reduced prices. So I picked up quite a few bargains. Here’s my haul I got some mangoes, dips, and pink-lady apples because they are everyone’s favourites. They’re sweet, crunchy and a tiny bit sour. I also bought some tomatoes and picked up three bags of small avocados. They were $5.oo a bag but the nice man at the stall sold me 3 bags for $10.00. They’re a good size to take to work for lunch. I bought a chicken, mushroom and leek pie that I put in the freezer to have later on in the week. I love washing all my fruit and veggies before I pack them away. Aren’t they good-looking fruit and vegetables? I was super excited about the beautiful red capsicums. They have been so expensive in the supermarket but I got a bag of 5 for $5.00. They are normally $3.00 each! SATURDAY EVENING In the evening I worked on the blog for a while and I also made some Pinterest pins. I am also trying to remember to post on Instagram. I am hopeless on social media but I have set myself a goal to post at least one thing every day. Here’s a link to my Instagram and Pinterest if you would like to follow me. I started watching Maid on Netflix and it is really good. My lovely friend recommended it to me ages ago but I wasn’t in the mood back then to watch it. It looked a bit sad and intense and I was right. I’m in a better frame of mind now so I really am enjoying it. We had so much leftover pulled chicken that I made the other day so I didn’t have to cook. We have been having it in burger buns with coleslaw for lunch. For dinner, we had it with rice. I’m lucky that non of us are fussy eaters and we will happily eat leftovers any time. SUNDAY I went to my aunt and uncle’s house for lunch. My aunty made the most delicious fall-apart lamb shanks yum!! One of my cousins was there too so it was great to catch up with them. It was my aunty Vicky’s birthday last weekend so I got her a small present. I bought her some nice-smelling handwash and a couple of soft white hand towels from Bed Bath and Table. It’s hard to know what to buy for birthdays sometimes. But I figured that everyone washes their hands and it did smell lovely. In the evening I did my meal planning and online grocery shopping. I went to bed at a reasonable hour and I am doing everything I can to love Mondays because they are a fresh new start to every week. I even wrote a post all about reasons to love Mondays that you can find here. I guess that wraps up my last weekend of school holidays. Thank you so much for stopping by to have a read. You are all one of the big reasons to love Mondays! Now it’s time to embrace term four and enjoy the final term of the school year!                                                                                

Hi, friends I hope that you all had a great weekend! It’s really good to be back for today’s Hello Monday link-up with Holly and Sarah. Thank you so much for stopping by to have a read and for letting me share with you a bit about my weekend. Friday Night Steve surprised me by coming home from work very early on Friday night. He said it was a slow night at work so he didn’t need to stay late. This never happens so to celebrate we had some wine and halloumi cheese! We also watched a movie on Netflix. I was keen to watch something light-hearted as I really wasn’t in the mood for anything sad or soppy. So I chose ‘Date Night’ with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Neither one of us had seen it before. It turned out to be such a funny movie with just the right amount of action and we both loved it! Saturday We had our fun monthly family dinner at my aunty’s house on Saturday night. It was such a great night of fun, food and family. We also surprised Sam and Luke by having two birthday cakes. One for each of them. They are eleven years apart in age but they share the same birthday month. After dinner, we played a fun board game and we all got right into it even our two youngest cousins who are 12 and 10. Oh my goodness we were so loud too!! It really was such a great night. In addition to our monthly dinners, we have decided that it would be fun to do some kind of group outing every few months. We were thinking of maybe doing things like escape rooms, bowling, virtual reality laser tag or putt-putt golf. I’m excited for this to happen, now we just need to set a date and organise it. We also have big plans for Halloween to go trick or treating as one big group of 14. That should be great fun! Plus it will be another opportunity for us to wear our Star Wars costumes that we all bought for my cousin’s surprise birthday party earlier this year. Sunday We went to bed really late after our family get-together and then daylight saving started. So we woke up super late and I missed church. I love daylight saving but it takes a little while to adjust. I remember when my kids were little and it was still daylight at 7 pm. Trying to convince them that it was actually bedtime was a bit challenging. I remember Sam saying to me “Mummy why are you putting me to bed in the daytime?” But it was so nice to see the bright blue sky and the sun still shining at 6 pm. I always like to keep my weekend free from cleaning and housework except of course for the very basic things. But because I am on holiday from work I was happy to do some chores that I wouldn’t normally do during the school term. So on Sunday afternoon, I got right into cleaning the oven. Yeah, I know oven cleaning is up there as one of the worst jobs! But boy oh boy it really needed doing! Thankfully we have a pyrolytic oven so it cleans itself. But having said that, I still had to clean the glass, racks and shelves. They needed a LOT of scrubbing! I also have to admit that self-cleaning ovens make me a bit nervous. I mean how can they get so hot and still be safe? The instruction book said that I could take the oven door off to clean the glass. But there was no way I was going there. It just sounded too complicated. Plus I was a bit traumatised from the last time that I cleaned it. I put the glass back the wrong way and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how it was supposed to go back together. I may or may not have ended up on the kitchen floor crying! It wasn’t one of my best days, that’s for sure!! Anyway, it looks so shiny and clean now so that’s good. I’m just so amazed how the oven just burns all the junk off and then all I had to do is wipe it with a cloth. I know that oven cleaning on a Sunday is not very exciting. But funnily enough, I found it very satisfying and now I can tick off that chore as done yay! This is before And after……what a huge difference!! That wraps up my weekend! A very fun Saturday night followed by an even more exciting Sunday afternoon of oven cleaning hehe!   Now, this week is my second week of spring break and I am savouring every moment and wishing desperately for the time to go very slow!! Happy Monday!    

Hi friends, it’s good to be back again for this week’s Hello Monday link-up with Holly and Sarah. I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I had such a busy and exhausting week, so I was glad that I hadn’t planned anything for this weekend. In the end, it was the perfect combination of resting, getting a few things done, and spending time at home. And best of all we had a sunny and warm weekend. I find sunny days like the ones we just had are such a great mood booster. A Sunny And Warm Saturday A Delicious Brunch I had a much-needed sleep-in on Saturday. Then because it was such a beautiful day Steve and I decided to try a local outdoor cafe for brunch. We found this cute little cafe on a residential street and it was bustling with people. I think that it must be quite popular with the locals. Thankfully the cafe wasn’t too crowded and we found an empty table right away. They had some relaxing music playing in the background and there was a nice mix of couples, families with young kids, and larger groups of people at tables as well. I polished off this big plate of avocado, halloumi cheese, poached eggs, and salmon. It looked like spring on a plate and it was so delicious. Steve actually commented on how hungry I must have been because I ate so fast. Normally I’m a bit slow. Steve had a steak sandwich and fries which he enjoyed very much. Although, he did say that next time he would like to try what I ordered. In the afternoon Steve went to work and I enjoyed a nice cup of tea and a shortbread biscuit. The biscuit was in the shape of a cute little dog. Haha as I’m typing this I just realised that you could say I had some dog biscuits!! But no trust me, they are human biscuits. A Relaxing Mask I treated myself to a collagen mask and I think that this one is a winner. My skin felt so much better. But I have to admit that sometimes I am a bit skeptical when it comes to beauty products. I’m just never sure that they are going to do what they promise. Maybe this comes from my mum always saying “Ruth once you get to a certain age not even Jesus can get rid of the wrinkles” She was so funny! Anyway, this mask turned out to be great and I will definitely be using it again. I also made a big effort to drink more water this weekend. Drinking water is such a simple thing I can do to improve my skin and make me feel more energised. I also know that it’s just great for my overall health. But unless I put my mind to it and make a conscious decision to drink more, then I forget so easily. Catching Up On Laundry Look at this giant pile and I even took a photo after I had already folded one basket. I am usually pretty good at keeping on top of the folding. But not this week!! Like I said on Friday, I have run out of energy and I have been playing catch-up all week long. While I folded the clothes I watched a documentary about the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Sunday I heard a lovely true story about the Queen at the start of the sermon on Sunday at church. Our Pastor was telling us about a guy he knew who was randomly selected to meet Queen Elizabeth II when she was visiting  Australia in 2006. When the time came for this young man to meet The Queen. He found himself standing next to some very important people with titles. He was nearly overlooked when it was his turn to meet Her Majesty. She was quickly ushered along the lineup to meet the ‘important’ people and he was missed. But The Queen soon noticed and she made sure that she acknowledged him by greeting him and shaking his hand. Isn’t that a lovely story that just speaks volumes about what a wonderful person she was? The point of this story during the sermon was to illustrate how we too are just ordinary people yet God cares so much for us. God knows what we need and he provides for us. Here is a photo that we were shown of the young man meeting The Queen. A Trip To Bunnings After church, I did a quick dash to Bunnings. All this warm weather inspired me to start checking a couple of things off my spring bucket list. Things like doing some planting and decorating the house with fresh flowers. I bought some flowers, as well as coriander and basil. Then I spent the afternoon planting some in the front garden and some in big pots. Then I cut some lavender from my garden and put it in a vase for the entryway table. In the late afternoon, I made a lasagna for dinner. Then later on Sam went to the 6.30 pm youth church service. Sunday Evening I settled into my comfy lounge to watch more episodes of Stranger Things. I’m up to season 4 now and it is so scary! I’m still enjoying it even though I am watching it either from behind a cushion, with my eyes closed, or peeking in between my fingers as I cover my face.   It was so lovely to have a proper warm and sunny weekend. I hope that you guys had a great weekend and are all refreshed and ready for a new week. Somebody posted on Facebook that there are only 14 Saturdays until Christmas and it made me pull this face. The days and weeks are going by so crazy fast! Anyway, that’s about it for today’s recap of my sunny and warm weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by and I

Hi friends it’s good to be back for today’s Hello Monday link-up with Holly and Sarah. We have two more weeks and then it’s Spring break. Yay!! I’m so happy to report that we enjoyed a very sunny weekend and I am looking forward to many more. A Fun Spring Fair On A Sunny Weekend I had a great Saturday with my lovely fun bestie. We went to the Spring Fair at Cronulla which is now called Cronullafest. Cronulla is a suburb in Sydney which has many surf beaches and enclosed pools. And it is only about 25 minutes by car or 50 minutes by train from my house. I rarely go to Cronulla as I am not a beach person. But it is a lovely suburb and popular not only with Sydneysiders but with tourists as well. We enjoyed looking at all the stalls at the fair and even though it was early we tried a tiny bit of Rosé. Then we walked further along until we got to the beach. It was such a gorgeous sunny day. After Saturday’s visit, I am actually looking forward to going back and walking on the beach. I may even take my shoes off and go in the water. (But only up to my ankles hehe). After our walk, we went to a place called ‘Emu’s Burger Joint’ for lunch. Yes, they do have emu on the menu! But I just ordered the beef brisket burger which was really delicious and a nice change from the usual beef patties. After lunch, we made our way back to Cronulla station but stopped at a few shops along the way. There were lots of books and clothes shops. But I like the homeware and fine food shops the best. In the evening I watched the proclamation of King Charles III. It seemed so surreal to be watching such a significant moment in history. For Saturday night dinner we had enough leftover spinach pie I had made on Friday night but I had a real craving for two-minute noodles. I know that they are not the healthiest option but hey it was the weekend! I threw an egg in it and it was so yummy. Stranger Things Season 3 My cousin Ben has been encouraging me to watch Stranger Things. He is around the same age as my oldest son and every time I see him he asks me” Have you watched Stranger Things yet Ruthie” (My family and many of my friends call me Ruthie). Sam and I had watched seasons 1 and 2 but only a couple of episodes of season 3. Then he got busy with school etc and we stopped watching. I picked it up again on Saturday night. Oh my goodness I can see why Ben had wanted me to get back into it. It is so good and now I’m binge-watching it! I was gasping and making noises and covering my face at the scary exciting bits. Sam came out of his room where he was studying and laughed. Now he’s keen to watch it after he finishes his exams. Sunday I went to church in the morning while Steve slept as he got home in the early hours of the morning after a very long shift. Sam has started going to the evening service which I am very happy about. Covid messed up our church-going routine. Anyway, the evening service is mainly for the youth and I hope he gets back into the habit of going along. He did say it was good and that he enjoyed it. I got home from church around midday and Steve’s best friend Scott (who is more like a brother to him) came over for lunch. My lovely cousin came over too and so did Sam’s girlfriend. I threw together a simple lunch and we had a really nice time. Poor Steve misses out on a lot of family dinners and get-togethers because of work. That’s the real downside of working in hospitality. In the afternoon I hit the shops for a little while with my cousin. She needed a couple of things for her new place so we went to TK Maxx, Big W, and K-mart. I picked up some keratin deep conditioner, I’m still using my egg remedy conditioner. But I thought that I would give this a try too. I have been changing my wire hangers and using these flocked hangers instead. They are much kinder on my clothes. Then in the evening, Steve surprised me by coming home early from work. We have started watching ‘All Creatures Great And Small’. It’s a really sweet show set in the late 1930s about a Yorkshire vet. We watched one episode and then called it a night. It really was a very nice sunny weekend that went by way too fast. What did you guys get up to? I hope it was a good weekend for you all. Happy Monday! Sharing on                        

Hi, friends welcome back to today’s Hello Monday post where I am linking up with Holly and Sarah. I really hope you all had a fantastic weekend and are feeling recharged and pumped for a brand-new week. It was the first weekend of Spring and it was full of family fun, just the way I like it! A Fun Family Get Together We started the first weekend of Spring with our monthly family dinner. We have officially given our first Friday of the month gatherings a title and it is now called ‘Cousin Connect’. My cousin Jessie came up with this name, and it fits like a charm because we are all cousins. Sure we are all related in different ways but ultimately we are all cousins. We had such an amazing time and I always leave these dinners with a sore face from smiling and laughing so much! I love that we can talk about anything. You name it and we can discuss it whether it’s politics, current affairs, or anything. The hot topic for this ‘Cousin Connect’ was sausage rolls vs meat pies. Just in case you might not know a sausage roll is sausage meat that is wrapped up in puffed pastry. I’m not quite sure of its origin but it is a popular Aussie food and we eat them as a snack or for lunch. And a meat pie is, you guessed it a pie with a meat and gravy filling. Well, we were all in hysterics over everyone’s preferences and their reasons as to why they were either team sausage roll or team meat pie. The arguments were just so funny and I couldn’t pick a side. I love meat pies and sausage rolls the same! Two Birthdays For dinner we had some really delicious Thai food and then for dessert we had not one but two birthday cakes. Two of our cousins share the same birthday on the 5th of September. So it was a perfect night to celebrate as we were all together. Ikea Festival To celebrate the beginning of Spring. Our local Ikea store held a festival! My cousin Terry and I went along and we had the best time! There was a DJ at the entrance and he was playing some really great music. A nice Ikea lady was handing out some scratch and wins. Terry and I scratched and discovered that we had won a cinnamon roll. But I get the feeling that everyone was a winner that day. We tried some veggie balls. There was also a nail salon. But the queue was a bit too long so we gave it a miss. We stopped for a snack in the cafeteria. Then we watched a demonstration which was all about how to build your own terrarium. Terry has recently moved into a new home and she needed some storage containers. So she found some that she liked and I also bought a few bits and pieces. It was a really fun morning. I love spending time with my sweet cousin. Father’s Day Sunday was Father’s Day and we had lunch with our boys to celebrate. Steve had to go to work in the late afternoon but we were happy that we were able to spend some time together and enjoy a delicious lunch. We started with some of Steve’s favourites. Smoked salmon and prawns. Then we had some roast beef, chicken skewers, salad, and roast veggies. YUM! I made Steve a personalised Father’s Day card. He was chuffed that I put his photo on the back. Here he is holding the beloved trophy that he won at his swim club earlier this year. We gave him a polo shirt and sandals that I bought last week during my shopping trip to the city and a couple of Krispy Kreme donuts. After all the fun Steve had to go to work. Luke and Sam went off to play ‘Pokémon GO’ for a bit. Haha, yep they are both Pokémon fans. It was so nice to see Luke and Sam hang out together. There is a big eleven-year gap between them and Luke lives about half an hour away by car. So because everyone is so busy with work and school etc. We only get to see Luke and his lovely fiancee a couple of times a month. They both came home after about an hour of catching some rare Pokémon and we decided to watch a movie together. I made some microwave popcorn. Then we flicked through Netflix and we all agreed to watch ‘Fight Club’ because we hadn’t seen it before. Oh my goodness what a weird movie! None of us really enjoyed it at all.  But the three of us agreed that we were glad to have finally watched it. Mainly because it’s one of those famous movies that is often quoted in popular culture. Afterward, we were all keen to watch a feel-good episode of something so that we could erase the memory of the movie. Haha! Anyway, all in all, the first weekend of Spring was a really fun one! I was so happy to have spent so much precious time with my family. Thanks so much for stopping by today and I really hope you all have a fantastic week. Happy Monday friends! Sharing on    

Hey everyone, so good to be back again for this week’s edition of Hello Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and that you are feeling refreshed and ready for a new week ahead. I’m happy to report that we all enjoyed a cold but very sunny weekend. It’s the second last weekend before spring and I couldn’t be happier about that! Thanks so much for reading along and letting me share with you a few things that we got up to this weekend. Friday! When I got home from work, I made sure to get right into my usual cleaning routine. I find it so tempting to forget the usual chores on a Friday. But I know that if I don’t get them done then I’ll be playing catch-up on Saturday and that is no fun!! I was really pleased with myself when I got everything finished and it really didn’t take that long. Then I knew I could spend the rest of the evening relaxing. Yep, I was home alone for most of the evening as Steve was at work and Sam went out with his sweet girlfriend. So I had some pizza, and ginger beer while I binge-watched some more Doc Martin. On Thursday I blogged about some fun things you can do when you are at home alone. Having dinner while watching a favourite show is most definitely on my list of fun things to do! Saturday Saturday morning I was up nice and early. It’s so much easier getting out of bed when the sun is shining. I’ve noticed that not only are the evenings getting darker later. But the mornings are now getting brighter much earlier. I’m all for that!! Steve and I went out for breakfast to our local Westfield. There’s a nice cafe there where they make amazing eggs benedict. They give you a choice of having the eggs with bacon or salmon. I love bacon but when it comes to eggs benedict, Steve and I are both on team salmon! The last time we were at the same cafe for breakfast, which I think may have been about a month ago. We were lucky to find a table as it was so busy everywhere. The shops and cafes were really bustling. But not on this Saturday, it was surprisingly quiet. We finished off by sharing banana bread with our coffee. Everything was so delicious!! We didn’t hang around at the shops but went straight home instead. We snuggled up with cozy blankets at home to watch an episode of Line Of Duty. Our cat Sushi joined us for a snuggle too. I feel like we have been watching this forever. This is because Steve and I don’t have much free time together during the week. So we can only catch an episode here and there. Anyway, we are on the final series now and I’ll be sad when it ends but I also want it to end because I am dying to know what happens! Filming! Just before midday Sam and I went to our friend’s house so that he could finish filming his HSC drama video. He needed some more actors and a different location. So I enlisted the help of some kind friends. I know Sam was a bit stressed about directing everyone. But he did great! He also had to do some more filming on Sunday as well as loads of editing. It’s a big project and I’m sure that he will be relieved once it’s all over. I know that I will be!! Saturday Evening I finished season nine of Doc Martin and now I have to wait for the tenth and final season ever. Not sure when that is coming out as I heard that they started filming in February. I absolutely love this show. After Doc Martin, I felt like watching a movie so I switched over to Amazon Prime and watched ‘House Of Gucci’ If you haven’t watched it then I don’t really recommend it. The movie was so disappointing and I found it really boring. I only got about halfway through before I gave up and went to bed. Sunday Sunday morning was cold but again very sunny. I went to church and then after the service I had a quick chat with a few friends over morning tea before I went home. I got there when they were doing the kids’ spot. Once the children all went off to Sunday school or Kid’s church as we call it then I found a seat. We have been learning all about the book of Hebrews. Later in the afternoon after lunch, I went for a pedicure, grabbed a few things from the shops, and had a coffee. I always say my name is Sam when I order a coffee. Haha! It’s just easier. In the evening I needed to take care of my grey roots!! My hair always feels soft and shiny after I colour it. I don’t enjoy the process of colouring it at all!! but I always feel happy with the results. I used to get my hair coloured at the hair salon but it always took so long. I prefer to do it at home now especially since I seem to have to take care of those greys more often these days. Sigh!! I use this Olia hair colour in light brown. Sunday Evening Sunday evening I did some meal planning and then I cooked some chili con carne. I think it’s just called chili in America but here in Australia, we call it chili con carne. Then I sat down to watch this season of The Block. It’s an Australian reality TV series in which five couples compete against each other to renovate houses. Then at the end of the series, all the properties go up for auction. The winning couple are the ones who sell their home for the most money. It’s a great show and I love following

Hi friends! Wow, didn’t the weekend just go by in a flash! It’s like I blinked and the weekend was over and here we are again to welcome back Monday. As usual, I am linking up with Holly and Sarah for today’s Hello Monday post. If you read my Friday post I was telling you guys that I had nothing planned for this weekend. And I honestly thought that I would just be pottering around the house and watching some TV shows. I also believed the weather forecast which said that it was going to be cloudy and rainy. Nope, I ended up having an unexpectedly busy weekend. Fun but busy, oh yes and the sky was a brilliant blue and there wasn’t a single raindrop. Haha!! Friday night I just love Friday nights!! While I was cooking dinner my friend rang to ask me if I was free on Saturday to go shopping at Ikea with her and another couple of friends. I said yes straightaway! I sure love going to Ikea whenever I get the chance and so I was super excited to go! One of the things that I love the most about Friday nights. Is that I know that I can stay up super late and not worry about having to get up early the next day. So I did just that and I waited till Steve got home from work after midnight. We watched some TV and ate sweet and salty popcorn which was really good! Along with some other yummy snacks. It certainly was such a nice way to end the working week. Saturday We all enjoyed a lazy and very slow morning. For breakfast, I had some sourdough toast with avocado and feta cheese along with a nice steamy cup of tea. Then we started watching the final season of Line Of Duty. In the afternoon Steve went to work and later on my friends came to pick me up for our trip to Ikea. We got there at around 2.30 pm and didn’t leave until around 6.30 pm. We did stop for coffee and muffins along the way. Shopping with friends is so fun and we chatted until we almost lost track of the time! After coffee, we kept on browsing as we made our way around Ikea. I picked up a few things from the marketplace. I needed new squeegees for the showers. I picked up this cooling pad for Sam. Even though I get super excited about warm weather he’s not a real fan of summer. He gets too warm when he’s in bed even during winter sometimes. So I thought that this might help to keep him cooler. A new toilet brush! Then afterward instead of going home, we all agreed that we wanted to keep hanging out. So we stopped off for some dinner at St George Motor Boat club. We shared some sweet potato fries, pasta, and pizza. In the end, I got home at around 10.30 pm. It really was such an unexpectedly fun way to spend Saturday. Sunday Oh my goodness! Will our car troubles ever end??? Poor Steve had to Uber it home because my little Suzuki that he has been driving wouldn’t start after he finished work at 1 am on Sunday morning. We just had the battery changed after he got stranded a couple of weeks ago. The car was serviced only last Wednesday! Ugh, so annoying!! Anyway, we called the mechanic and he installed another battery. Fingers crossed this doesn’t happen again. We have decided to just stick with one car until November. Hopefully, the car market will improve by then.  Shopping For A Birthday Present Sunday afternoon Steve went to work and I walked to the shops. We live in a suburb that is super close to a small Westfield which is so convenient. It took me about twenty minutes to walk there and I felt good about getting in some steps too. It’s Steve’s birthday this Wednesday so I went to get him some presents. I was going to order online but time just slipped away. I found some things that I know he likes and I am going to put them together in a hamper. Birthday shopping for him is a bit tricky. He’s a real minimalist and doesn’t ever really ‘want’ anything. So what I tend to do is just get him a few things that I know he needs and he’s always happy with that! I left the shops at around 5 pm and I was so excited that it was still very much daylight especially since I was walking back home. Spring is on its way and the evenings are getting darker just a little bit later than they were only a few weeks ago. Yay!! Sunday Evening For Sunday night dinner I marinated and baked some chicken thigh fillets and we had them for dinner with rice and roast carrots. In the evening I did some blogging and then watched Doc Martin. I have been dying to watch season 9! I totally recommend this British comedy-drama about a surgeon who develops a fear of blood. So he leaves London and moves to a small sleepy village called Portwenn to start his own practice. It is hilarious!! The show is full of lovable characters and the scenery and music are just perfect. I love this show and I can’t believe that I forgot to include it in my list of shows that I binge-watch. Anyway, we signed up for a 7-day free trial of Britbox so we could watch the final season of Line of Duty. Seasons one to six are on Stan which we subscribe to but the final season isn’t. But now I’ve discovered that Britbox has so many great shows like the latest season of Doc Martin as well as so many others. So now I’m not sure that I really want to stop my subscription after the free trial. If