Home Archives - Page 27 of 30 - PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Friday Favourites

*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

Friday Favourites Read More »

Let’s Explore Paddington, Sydney!

13 Comments / Discovering NSW Australia, Home

Hey everyone, I hope you all had an amazing weekend! It’s great to be back today on this much cooler Monday. Let me tell you that it sure has been a hot and humid weekend here in Sydney. But I’m not complaining because I love summer!! I’ll leave my whingeing and complaining for the winter, which is my least favourite season. Anyway, thanks so much for being here today as I share a bit about my fun weekend exploring Paddington on Saturday and celebrating our anniversary on Sunday. Saturday I had been eager to visit Paddington for ages and I was determined to make this happen before the end of the school holidays. Paddington is a suburb in Sydney and it’s famous for its lively atmosphere, pretty streets, and historic terraced houses. Oxford Street runs through the heart of Paddington and is full of trendy cafes and boutiques. Additionally, the suburb is home to the well-known Paddington Markets, held on Saturdays which is full of handmade crafts, vintage finds, and gourmet food stalls. I love Paddington and if I ever won a gazillion dollars ( it’s a very expensive suburb!) I would love to live there. But for now, I was happy to spend most of Saturday exploring with my fun friend who came along with me. We caught the bus from Martin Place and it dropped us almost in the heart of Paddington. First up we stopped off at a cafe for a bite to eat. The next stop was a quirky shop that sold vintage designer fashions, accessories and other random vintage finds such as old phones. I found some bracelets made from guitar wire and thought they looked nice as a stack with my watch. A gift and stationery store sold these funny cards. We went in and out of so many shops that I lost count and then we reached the markets. After the markets, we walked back along the other side of Oxford Street and discovered Paddington Reservoir Gardens. The reservoir was an important water source for the growing population in the 19th century and today it’s a beautiful heritage-listed site. It was a fun Saturday visiting Paddington-there was so much to see and do and we sure did a lot of steps! Sunday Steve and I had plans to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary last Sunday. But it was windy, rainy and generally a bad day to go anywhere. So we moved our plans to yesterday and it was the best decision because the weather was amazing – boiling hot but still amazing! We decided to go to the Opera Bar and spend the late afternoon and evening there. We caught the light rail from Town Hall to Circular Quay. Then walked along the waterfront and made our way to the Opera Bar which is right near the Opera House. I never get tired of these views! The bar was so busy when we arrived but we were lucky and grabbed a great spot not too far away from where the band was playing. I don’t know if you can see clearly in the photo. But the giant shade umbrellas had these jets that sprayed a fine mist of water to cool everyone down. About every 5 or 10 minutes the cool mist would land on me and it felt so good! Cheers to 34 years! Hot chips and sauce to start with. Then we ordered the cold seafood platter and it was spectacular! It had Sydney rock oysters, tiger prawns, salmon gravlax, scallop ceviche and crab rolls. Everything tasted so good!! We stayed at the bar until 10 pm listening to the band. Neither of us was in a hurry to leave because the atmosphere was just too good and we were enjoying such a gorgeous night. The walk back to the station was so pretty with all the lights. It was such a lovely weekend and now I’m heading into the final week of the summer school holidays. I’m still determined to make the most of every minute and hoping like crazy that the week moves along nice and slow! I have a couple of catch ups with friends this week. Then I also need to get back to my mental to-do list. Because if I don’t then I won’t get onto them until the next school holiday break – I’m looking at you house blinds! Thanks so much for being here and I’ll see you on Wednesday! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

Let’s Explore Paddington, Sydney! Read More »

New Year’s Recap and Other Favourites

4 Comments / Home

Hi friends welcome to Friday favourites! I’m sharing a quick New Year’s recap as well as a few other favourites. Thanks so much for stopping by. New Year’s Celebrations For New Year’s Eve, we had no plans right up until the last minute. Steve and I were quite happy just to stay home and binge-watch a new series on Netflix. Usually, Steve works on New Year’s Eve but as it fell on a Sunday this year and Sunday is his usual day off. It meant that he got to stay home. Yay! Sam was out at a friend’s place for a small gathering with a few of his friends from school. In the end, a friend of ours invited us and another couple over to their place for an early dinner. It was a lovely cozy evening with lots of cheese, wine and a delicious dinner. The night ended at around 11 pm and luckily our friends live within walking distance. We purposely didn’t drive so that we could both enjoy a drink or three. On the way home there were so many fireworks being let off and you wouldn’t think that they were illegal over here! We got home in time to watch the midnight fireworks on TV. But we had our own local fireworks going off right near our house. Thanks again to some enthusiastic local residents! So I ditched the ones on TV and ran out to watch the ones outside our house. They were quite impressive! On New Year’s Day, we continued with our celebrations and enjoyed prawns, oysters and some fancy French bubbly. That’s A Wrap For Christmas 2023! Later on, it was time to undecorate the house. I love Christmas and I feel sad that all the fun festivities are over so I prefer to get this task over and done with. Admittedly I do like the extra space when everything is packed away. In the evening we went out for dinner with the same friends we spent New Year’s Eve with. After all the delicious food I wasn’t feeling very hungry so I just ordered a burger. My Favourite New Diary On Tuesday I caught up with my bestie for brunch. We went to a cafe called The Leaf Cafe and it was decorated with all this amazing greenery. I had the poached eggs. My friend had the smashed avocado. She surprised me with a new Twigseeds diary. My lovely friend gave me one last year and I used it the whole year. In the past my diary game usually drops off as the year moves along and then I start to rely on my memory…big mistake! But this gorgeous diary is full of cute illustrations as well as inspirational quotes. So it’s very motivating. Salads Again I have gone back to eating salads for lunch! As much as I love all the treats and delicious meals over Christmas. After a while, I find that I start to crave simple fresh meals. When I’m at work it’s the other way around and I start to crave burgers and fries after eating salads all week. Ha! Sydney Kings vs Melbourne United A big favourite this week was going to see a basketball game with Sam and some of our cousins. It was the Sydney Kings Vs Melbourne United. We had so much fun watching and cheering for Sydney. Well, half of our group cheered for Sydney but my cousin and her family are big Melbourne United fans. The whole atmosphere in the Qudos Bank arena was amazing. I love how basketball is a fast game where both teams are constantly scoring. Then during the breaks the DJ plays music and people get up and dance hoping to win prizes and get a chance to be on camera. My Favourite Ikea Purchase I love my shopping trolley from Ikea and it just might be my favourite Ikea purchase ever. Look how much shopping I can fit into it. This afternoon I went to get some things for our Cousin Connect dinner tomorrow night. We are having Italian food, that’s why I got all the fresh parsley and basil. So I better jump off the computer now and start food prepping! I hope you all have an amazing weekend and I look forward to being back here on Monday. Happy weekend! Linking up with Andrea

New Year’s Recap and Other Favourites Read More »

Big Favourites

7 Comments / Home

Hi everyone. Wow, this week sure flew by! We hit the ground running at work on Monday morning. Typically we have a pupil-free day on the first day back after a term break. So it’s a nice way to ease into the term by having a day to prepare. But in term four, the kids start preschool on the very first day. I’m not sure who was more excited to return to preschool…the kids or the parents who needed a break after spending two weeks at home with their kids! Anyway, it’s great to be back today for Friday favourites and I’m excited to share some big favourites with you guys today. October Cousin Connect Yay! We had our fun family get-together last Saturday and it was so good to see everyone together again. Well, almost everyone as my aunt is still overseas but she’ll be back in a couple of weeks. My cousins had lots of interesting adventures to share. But I think we need a few more catch-ups so that we can hear more stories about their time away visiting so many beautiful countries around Europe. Look at this amazing cheeseboard my cousin Steve put together! It was almost a shame to devour it, but it sure tasted fantastic! We had a delicious dinner and after we finished eating my cousin Ben showed me some of the photos from their trip. So far I know they visited Spain, Switzerland, Italy, The Netherlands, England, and Greece. They went skydiving, drove over big sand dunes, saw extraordinary views, partied hard and ate amazing food. It sounded so fun and I’m happy that they had an incredible time. But I sure am happy that they are home! We had delicious cupcakes and doughnuts for dessert. Then finished off the night with a few rounds of our favourite board game and as usual, there was a lot of excited yelling and I was laughing until my face hurt. Favourite Meals This Week Teriyaki salmon with rice and lots of veggies. Chicken stroganoff with mashed potato and veggies. Fish and chips for me when I went out for dinner midweek. Laksa for Steve. He said that it was so spicy, that he was sure his sinuses would be well and truly clear until the end of the year. Colourful Spring Roses Another beautiful rose appeared in my garden. I saw this one on Sunday. Then on Monday, it opened up! Chamomile Tea At the beginning of the week, I had so much trouble falling asleep. Then when I finally did it was that light, in-between state of half-awake, half-asleep. So annoying! I’m not sure if it was because I was a bit anxious about going back to the routine of work. Or if I was afraid that I would sleep through the alarm. Two weeks of no alarm was pure bliss! On Tuesday afternoon I stopped at the fruit shop on my walk home from work where I picked up some chamomile tea. It tasted amazing with a teaspoon of honey but I can’t say that it worked its magic in helping me relax and fall asleep on Tuesday night. However, the good news is that I slept much better on Thursday even though I just drank normal tea. It was great not feeling like a zombie at work! A New Family Member A big favourite for this week and probably the biggest favourite is that we have an unexpected new addition to the family. This cute little kitten had been meowing outside our house since Saturday night. Whenever we got close to her she would panic and hide under the car. It was as if she was begging us to take her in but at the same time, she was terrified of us. To be honest I didn’t really want to rescue her and I was hoping that maybe our cat-loving neighbour would. But she already has two cats. We have our own cat Sushi who is 12 years old and I didn’t want to rock her world by introducing a kitten to our home. But fate had other plans for us and Sam managed to gain the cute little kitty’s trust. He sat on the verandah waiting until she finally felt safe enough to let him pick her up and bring her into the house. It took us all about two seconds to fall totally in love with her. She is unbelievably affectionate for a stray kitten who has been fending for herself for who knows how long. Sam took her to the vet where she was given a clean bill of health and microchipped. Now she is all ours and Sam has named her Mochi after the Japanese rice cake. So now we have a Sushi and a Mochi. As I predicted we have totally ruined Sushi’s little world and she is not at all impressed with this kitten. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s quite scared of her and sees her as a threatening intruder. She looks at her and makes this incredibly sad meow which sounds like half a cry and half a hiss. Mochi just stands there and looks confused. We are keeping them apart and gradually introducing them to each other but it’s going to take time. It’s so fun having a new kitten and she is so cute! She loves to be patted and stroked and I am so glad that she’s friendly. As there’s nothing worse than a scary and hissy cat! I’m hopeful that Sushi will eventually come around to getting used to her. I have visions of them being like the animals in the Disney movies where the big cat looks after the little cat. They curl up and fall asleep together and live happily ever after. Doesn’t look very likely at the moment though! Spot the kitty! That’s All Folks! I guess that just about wraps up some of my big favourites for this week! I’m so happy that it’s

Big Favourites Read More »

My Biggest Fears

5 Comments / Home

Hi there, friends and welcome to the October edition of Let’s Look, hosted by Erika and Shay. When I looked at the topic for this month which is ‘Our Biggest Fears’. I thought ‘Excellent! I will have plenty to write about’ Ha! You see, I have always been a cautious person. My school report cards always said the same thing. ‘Ruth is a polite, shy and very quiet student’. I bet the teachers probably didn’t even know that I existed! I’m not much of a risk-taker or one to put myself out there. So it appears that this cautious nature of mine has shaped my life in more ways than one. Especially when it comes to some of my biggest fears. But I am working on myself, and starting this blog about two and a half years ago might just be one of the bravest things that I have done. Go me! I am also trying to conquer my fears and stop myself from adding extra fears to my already long list, which seems to be a recurring theme as I get older…sigh! Now I am going to bravely share my biggest fears with you, and I have to tell you that some of them are just plain crazy and irrational. So, you have my full permission to go ahead and laugh! I sure do (usually after I have cried about them first though 😂). My Biggest Fears! CHOKING On top of the fact that I have had a fear of choking for a long time. Our family also had a terrifying experience about six years ago when my younger son actually began choking. Thankfully it was his older brother Luke who saved him using the Heimlich manoeuvre. I can’t even bear to think what might have happened if Luke hadn’t been there. Interestingly the Heimlich manoeuvre isn’t taught or even promoted here in Australia. It was simply that Luke has always had a real curiosity for exploring various subjects. About a week before the choking incident, he happened to be reading up on it and even learnt the proper technique himself. I can only see God’s hand in this! SPIDERS, BUGS OR ANYTHING CREEPY CRAWLY Yuck! The other day a spider landed on my leg while I was happily blogging. Just out of nowhere, it plopped itself on my bare leg! At first, I thought it was a cockroach which is bad enough! I jumped out of my seat and screamed until I almost scared the poor spider to death. Well, that and almost a whole can of bug spray did the trick of killing it! The only bugs I can tolerate are ladybugs. Although I did see one under a microscope once. This was a huge mistake because up close they are icky and not cute at all. Now I can’t unsee what I saw… shudder! PUBLIC SPEAKING Because I don’t like being the centre of attention, public speaking almost equals having spiders and bugs deliberately thrown at me. That’s how much I fear it! When I was at uni I had to do presentations as part of my degree. I wish that I could say that I got over this as one of my biggest fears because I had to speak in public regularly to pass my course. But I did not! DRIVING OUTSIDE OF MY COMFORT ZONE I didn’t get my license until I was 26 when my oldest son was 3. The only reason why I learnt how to drive was because I needed to take him to preschool and I couldn’t rely on my husband as he worked odd hours. I’m so glad that I did learn how to drive because it made life easier but I still only drive to places that I am familiar with. If I have to go somewhere I’m not sure of, then my husband will take me for a practice drive. Bless him! FLYING This might make it to the top of the list of my biggest fears! Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. I have flown several times before, but with each trip, my fears seem to grow. The most recent flight I took was way back in 2008 when I travelled to New Zealand for my cousin’s wedding. I still remember that flight so vividly. I sat next to my mum feeling pale, cold and clammy. She was so excited about the trip and my fearless mum wouldn’t stop talking to me. She kept saying ‘Look Ruth isn’t this exciting, look out the window’. Geez, I couldn’t even move as I was almost paralyzed with fear. I don’t think that she understood that my sole mission was to sit there and not be sick. I also had to concentrate very hard on making sure that the pilot landed safely! CANCER Every time I have a symptom of anything I do what I shouldn’t do. I spend too long on Dr Google who in the end always diagnoses me with cancer. Sore shoulder…yep could be cancer. Upset stomach….. cancer. The skin on the bottom of my lip is pealing….definitely skin cancer. In my defence quite a few of my friends also admit to being like this but maybe not quite as bad as I am. WATER I’m not totally afraid of water as I will shower! But I don’t really know how to swim very well and if my feet can’t touch the ground of a pool I instantly panic. Swimming at the beach…forget it! I guess it didn’t help that I had a horrible P.E. teacher at school who probably got her teaching degree from the Trunchbull Academy. I still remember her yelling at me when I was 5 years old as I stood shivering by the edge of the pool. She was screaming at me to jump in or else she would throw me in. In the end, she threw me in the pool and I saw my little life flash before my

My Biggest Fears Read More »

Bright Moments From My week

6 Comments / Friday Favourites, Home

Hi there friends welcome to this week’s Friday Favourites. I sure am excited that it’s the weekend. The weekend always feels like a sweet reward for making it through the week’s ups and downs, don’t you agree? This week was just another typical week for me, with its fair share of work-related ‘stuff’. But even in the most mundane moments, I am learning to find the bright moments. One of the things that I absolutely love about blogging is that it’s like having a digital journal where I can reflect on the little things that brighten up my days. Because there are always favourites to find every week! So let’s take a peek at the things that made me happy even in the most ordinary moments. Bright Moments From My Week Educator’s Day It was Educator’s Day on Wednesday and our preschool director organised some cute gifts as tokens of appreciation. I thought that it was such a sweet gesture. Sam’s New Computer My son’s computer tower changes colour constantly. So every time I walk past his room it’s almost like a mini disco (without the music). Technology sure is fun these days! Botanica Air Freshener It’s no secret that I am constantly finding ways to make my home smell amazing. So I’m very excited about this delicious-smelling room spray. It has pomegranate and bergamot and the combination leaves a lovely subtle lingering scent. And it instantly freshens up my living space. Lime Cordial As the weather is getting warmer I find that I am craving cool refreshing drinks more and more. So a splash of Bickford’s Lime cordial mixed with soda water and ice is perfect. Body Yoghurt Ha, body yoghurt, the name sounds funny to me. Anyway, I have been loving this British rose-scent body yoghurt from The Body Shop. I think maybe the change in season is making my skin feel super dry and itchy. So I have been applying this to my arms and legs after I shower and it makes my skin feel so much better. I also love that the scent is nice and subtle. I have this thing about scents, they need to be subtle or my nose can’t handle them! Oat Milk I really enjoy my coffee with oat milk and the other day I ordered this one in a funny-looking carton. It tastes great and best of all it was half price (which is the reason why I bought it). It’s funny how sometimes little things like quirky packaging can boost your day. Laundry Bucket I know this might sound nuts but I really love the laundry bucket that I bought from one of my favourite stores, Muji. One of the things that I love about it is that it is a neutral colour so it blends in with everything in the laundry. And the other thing that I love about it is that it comes with a lid. So when I have my dishcloths soaking in there. It stops my little cat from drinking the water. I give her fresh water every morning so I don’t understand why she likes to drink water with detergent and soaking dishcloths. Yuck! Water Bottles I have some blue bottles that I use as water containers and they honestly make the water taste so good. I’m not kidding! Even visitors have commented on how delicious the water tastes from the blue bottles. They were originally vodka bottles so maybe they have some magic. First Aid Training Thursday we all had to stay back after work until 7.30 pm to update our First Aid training. You can imagine that after a long day at work, it was just so hard to push on. So this was not a favourite for this week. But during the training, I sat between my two work buddies who always make me laugh and make even long days so much brighter. And now that the training is over it means that we don’t have to sacrifice a day during the holidays to get it done. So that definitely is a huge favourite! Spring The biggest favourite for the week is knowing that it’s spring! And here are a few happy spring pics I snapped while I was walking to work. And that’s all for today friends – a few bright moments that made my regular week a bit more special. Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favourites.

Bright Moments From My week Read More »

September Currently

8 Comments / Home

Hi there friends I am excited to be here linking up with Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness. It’s the September edition of Currently! This month we are going to be chatting about what we are loving, experiencing, dreaming, eating and using to decorate. Let’s go! LOVING I just enjoyed another piece of the delicious cake I bought for Father’s Day. Even though I don’t typically have a sweet tooth. I am totally loving this layered cream and jam sponge cake. We had quite a bit leftover from Sunday night, so I decided to indulge again and thought “Why not step up and take one for the team to support my husband on his weight loss journey” Someone has to help out, right? Surprisingly I think I love it even more than I did on Sunday night. The cream has a unique flavour, different from the usual cream fillings – almost has a hint of yoghurt-like tanginess. This subtle acidity makes the cake taste totally amazing! I’d never thought I’d be gushing about a cake like this. I mean burgers and fries, absolutely! But sweet treats? Not usually my thing. EXPERIENCING I am currently experiencing what I can only describe as ‘term three tiredness’. It’s that time of the year when I am feeling kind of wiped out both physically and mentally. The constant hustle and bustle as well as the emotional demands that come with caring for preschoolers can leave me feeling pretty drained. So to be honest, I’m eagerly counting down to the upcoming spring holidays. I can not wait to have a break from that early morning alarm and squeezing in household chores before and after work. I’m so excited to get a refreshing break and I also want to soak in the warm sunny spring weather! DREAMING I’m pretty sure that this prompt refers to goals, aspirations or desires. But lately, my nights have been filled with some incredibly vivid dreams. They have been so ‘real’ that I have been scaring my husband during the night. I guess that means we’re even now, considering how much he snores. Haha! Apparently the other night I was moaning and talking in my sleep, which according to my husband sounded like a horror movie. He said he was lying there feeling unsure about whether or not to wake me. The next morning he asked about my dream and it took me a moment to remember. Then it hit me – I had dreamt that I was all excited and ready to go on a trip of a lifetime to Disneyland. But when I got to the airport I wasn’t allowed to board the plane because my passport was out of date and I had forgotten to renew it. Now that was a terrifying nightmare, no doubt about it!! EATING During the last few weeks of August, I have been eagerly waiting for spring to arrive. The sunny winter days were so inviting and got me in the mood to visit the Saturday morning farmer’s market. There I bought a rainbow of fresh delicious fruit and veggies and it got me really excited to cook! Over the last couple of weeks, I have also tried to incorporate some meat-free meals into our weekly menu. So I tried a chickpea curry (not spicy!) and a spinach and ricotta lasagna. As I type this, I realize I haven’t planned a meat-free meal for this week. But that’s ok-there are still a few days left so I’ll have to come up with something fast. Maybe a three-bean chilli might be good? USING TO DECORATE Here in Australia, we don’t go all out with home decorations throughout the year, except for Easter, Halloween and of course Christmas. I find it so fascinating to see how this is so different from other parts of the world. I have noticed that in places like the United States and many European countries, there seems to be a strong tradition of decorating homes for various occasions. Such as Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day and even to celebrate the changing seasons. We are pretty laid back over here about home decoration. And that’s a wrap! Thanks so much for hanging out with me and reading along as I share a bit about what has been going on currently in September. I hope you have an amazing Wednesday!

September Currently Read More »

Fun and Busy Weekend

6 Comments / Hello Monday, Home

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had an amazing weekend. It’s time to link up with Holly and Sarah to share a few things that I got up to over this fun and busy weekend. A Fun Evening at The State Theatre Friday after work I raced home to finish my Friday favourites post. Then it was a mad dash to get ready to go to the city to see Elvis: A Musical Revolution at The State Theatre with friends. I’m not a huge Elvis fan but when my friends invited me along. I was more than happy to do something fun on a Friday night. And I decided that my plans for a cozy solo movie night could wait until the following Friday. I love the city any time of the day. But it’s especially pretty when all the buildings are lit up at night. We had planned to eat dinner before the show but we were running out of time and didn’t want to scoff our food down in a hurry. So we decided we would rather wait and eat a very late dinner after the show. We grabbed some light snacks to eat inside the theatre to keep those tummy growls at bay! The State Theatre is heritage-listed in Sydney. And it is just so beautiful! The show was great and I enjoyed it much more than I expected. It was lively and fun with a great cast of very talented dancers. The finale was spectacular, and the whole cast came out wearing gold sequined costumes. They did an amazing medley of Elvis’s greatest hits and I decided then and there that I might be an Elvis fan after all! A Late Dinner The show finished at 10.30 and by then we were all starving! We knew we didn’t have many options as to where to eat. Because by then most places had stopped serving food. But I had a light bulb moment and remembered that there is a place called City Extra which is open 24/7. So we caught the light rail to Circular Quay and enjoyed a nice cozy dinner. Saturday Saturday morning I made another trip to the farmers market. The previous weekend I had bought some mandarins and they were so sweet and delicious. Even my husband who probably eats two pieces of fruit a year loved them. This time I bought a big bag because we can’t stop eating them! I also bought a few other leafy green vegetables. And as I was heading back to my car, I walked across the park just as I normally do. Then all of a sudden I felt a big noisy whoosh over my head! Then another whoosh. I put my shopping bag over my head because I realised that a magpie was attacking me! Luckily I had parked my car close by and I made it inside safely. Nesting magpies can be dangerous, a few years ago a friend of mine was knocked off his bike by a magpie and he hurt himself pretty badly! Food Prep I was feeling very motivated and energetic when I got home from the market. So I got busy making some granola. I always add dates and cranberries but this time I added dried mango I bought from the market as well as the usual dates. I love this granola recipe as it is easy, tasty and healthy. I’m sure you would love it too! You can find the recipe here. I also used the leeks that I had bought to make a chicken and leek pie filling. I froze the filling in a zip-lock bag to keep for a night when I need to put together a quick meal. Then all I have to do is throw the filling into some shortcrust pastry for a delicious chicken and leek pie. Bon Voyage Cousins! Most of my cousins are heading off to Europe next week for a fun five-week holiday. So my aunt organised a farewell cousin connect dinner on Saturday night. I won’t see them until October and that seems like such a long time away. I will miss them for sure! We decided that we might still have a small cousin event for the cousins who are not going on the trip. We are planning to maybe do something fun like laser tag. For dinner, we had delicious pasta, garlic bread and salads! Then we gave our usual board game we like to play a rest and decided to play Jackbox TV instead. Oh my goodness it was so much fun and I laughed so hard my tummy was hurting! Sunday Would you believe that I went to see Elvis again on Sunday? You see my husband is a huge Elvis fan and I mean huge! I was sad that he missed such a spectacular show on Friday night because he was at work. So I was able to get some tickets for the matinee performance on Sunday. And he absolutely loved it! I have to say that I really thought Sunday’s performance was even better than Friday night’s because the audience was way more enthusiastic. After the show, we went to a pub for dinner. We both had the chicken schnitzel with chips and salad. And two servings of gravy because you can never have enough gravy in my opinion! For dessert, we shared a berry crumble with ice cream. Yum! And that was my fun and busy weekend! I can now safely say that I’m all Elvised out! Happy Monday friends and thanks so much for stopping by to read my blog!

Fun and Busy Weekend Read More »

A Few Quick Favourites

7 Comments / Friday Favourites, Home

Hi there everyone! It’s so great to welcome back Friday, isn’t it? I have a few quick favourites from the week that I wanted to share with you. It’s Friday afternoon over here and my aunt texted me not long ago inviting me over for dinner. Impromptu dinner invitations are a huge favourite. And as if I wasn’t already excited about Friday, the invitation from her just took my excitement to the next level! So let’s jump right into some quick favourites before I dash off to get ready! Warm Winter Days It feels like early spring over here and I’m loving it. The last few days we have had very cold mornings (by our standards anyway) and then warm afternoons. We have even reached temps of around 23°C. This is pretty unusual as July is typically a cold month for us. Delicious Snacks This week my friend who has joined our team at preschool on a casual basis has brought some snacks to share with me at work. I already love working with her as she is so fun to be around and to top it off she brings me food. I couldn’t love her more!! These seaweed snacks are so good! I hadn’t had them in forever because when I had all those thyroid issues, my doctor had advised me to stay away from foods high in iodine. So I tried to limit eating things like tuna and seaweed and I also cut back on sushi which I love. She also brought me some macarons and I enjoyed them in the evening with a cup of tea. More Food Favourites Another favourite is eating tinned tuna (now that I can) and salad for lunch at work. Of course some days I wish I had the power to turn my salad into a Big Mac. But most days I’m happy with a healthy salad. I think most of the things on my list of quick favourites are about food! I made some homemade garlic bread the other day and it tasted great! Will definitely go back to making my own instead of buying it from the supermarket. It was easy and convenient to buy but also expensive. $7.00 for garlic bread!! crazy! These zucchini noodles are great. I had plans to just eat them with my turkey bolognese instead of having pasta as a healthier option. But those carbs were calling me so I gave in and mixed the zucchini noodles with the pasta. I couldn’t resist! Steve and I decided to stay home on Wednesday night instead of going out for dinner. It was fun eating dinner in front of the telly. We had leftover turkey bolognese with salad and a glass of really nice red wine. I got this box of fruit and nut mix as part of a Christmas hamper and we devoured it while we caught up on more Blue Bloods. I made a chicken and leek pie on Thursday night and it was perfect for a cold night. Yep, it’s warm days and cold nights at the moment. Longer Days! One final non-food related favourite is that the days are getting longer. It isn’t pitch black at 4.30 pm anymore…hooray! The other day I looked at the clock, it was almost 5.30 and it was still daylight! Spring is coming! This week has just gone by so fast and I feel like I have been playing catch up! I think that this time around it is taking me longer to snap back into my work routine after the break. I’m really looking forward to seeing the Barbie movie and spending the day with my lovely friend tomorrow. And I’ll be back here on Monday to tell you what I thought of the movie. It’s been out for a few days now and I have heard a few mixed reviews. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a bit different from what I was expecting! Have a wonderful weekend! Happy Friday! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

A Few Quick Favourites Read More »

Weekend Recap

12 Comments / Hello Monday, Home

Hey there everyone! Welcome back to another edition of Hello Monday hosted by Holly and Sarah. I hope you guys had an amazing weekend filled with fun, great company, and a sprinkle of relaxation to help recharge your batteries. I’m so happy that you are here today as I share a recap of my weekend. Friday Night Friday night we had plans with some friends to go out for dinner and trivia at our local club. We were all looking forward to a night of fun and friendly competition. But when we got there surprise! The club wasn’t hosting trivia anymore! We were all a bit disappointed but we didn’t let it ruin our night. Instead, we went and explored another nearby restaurant and rooftop bar. After some initial confusion about where to go, we decided to try a rooftop bar that is just a few minutes from where I live. I had been wanting to go there for ages as I had seen it featured on a show called ‘Sydney Weekender’. I was glad we chose to go there because we all really loved it. The decor and atmosphere were great and we all agreed that it felt like we were in the city somewhere and not in our own small suburb. It had some really pretty views in the outdoor area. They had lounges and blankets as well as cosy a cosy fire pit but it was just too cold to sit outside. Instead, we sat inside but I’m really looking forward to going back in the summer. There was a restaurant next door to the bar so we had dinner there. But you know when it gets so late and then you’re not that hungry anymore. Well, that happened to me and when I looked at the menu I just couldn’t decide. Everything sounded a bit too fancy and complicated and I was kind of just craving something simple. So after studying the menu for ages I just ordered a small serving of fish and chips. Ha! I was in such an indecisive mood! We got some focaccia to share. And finished off with a parfait with a super long name that I can’t remember. Yuzu, matcha something ?? Saturday I woke up on Saturday morning and I felt inspired to organise and declutter. There were clothes in my wardrobe that were bringing me no joy. So I bundled them up to give away. I also tackled my ensuite cabinet which had gotten messy and I got rid of a whole lot of things that were taking up space. It’s interesting how things just seem to eventually pile up over time. I feel like I tidy and organise pretty often, yet there are always still areas to declutter! Then it was time to get through a few boxes of things that belonged to my mum. Sigh….that was tough. She used to love doing ‘Find A Words’. But gradually her eyesight got really bad and so she couldn’t do them anymore. I found a whole lot of these books that she never got a chance to do and it made me sad. Hopefully, someone else will enjoy them. Saturday night I went to bed really early. Usually, I wait for Steve to get home from work and we stay up late watching ‘Blue Bloods’. But I was tired from being so emotional clearing out some of the last of my mum’s bits and pieces. And I knew that I would be no fun to be around so I thought that it was best if I went to bed. And I’m so glad that I did because I woke up feeling so much better on Sunday morning. Sunday Sunday I went to church and then in the afternoon Steve and I caught up on a few episodes of ‘Blue Bloods’ that we didn’t watch on Saturday night. Then it was time to get together with some friends who we hadn’t seen in ages for dinner. We met up at a pub nearby and we enjoyed a cozy meal on a cold wet night. It wasn’t too late when Steve and I got home after dinner so we decided to watch a movie on Netflix. We watched ‘Mrs Harris Goes To Paris’. Have you seen it? You probably have because it’s been out for a while but if you haven’t then you totally should. It was just such a lovely feel good movie and it was a perfect way to end a lovely weekend. And I guess that brings me to the end of another weekend recap. I’m still getting used to being back at work after the long break and I can’t believe that it’s nearly the end of July. How??? Anyway, I can’t complain because that means that we are heading a bit closer to spring and I can NOT wait! I look forward to being back here on Wednesday for What’s Up Wednesday. See you guys then. Happy Monday!

Weekend Recap Read More »