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5 Things I Like to Do in Each Season

Hi friends, and welcome to the September edition of Share Our Lives. Today, I’m sharing 5 things I like to do in each season, from winter to summer, spring to autumn. Let’s go! Winter I love lighting candles. Plain IKEA tapers, tea lights, scented, unscented, any warm glowing flame makes me feel a bit cheerier about my least favourite season. Yeah, I don’t like being cold, so I’ll do whatever it takes to trick myself into believing I’m not. For me, that often means having a virtual fireplace video with crackling fire sounds on my TV screen. Eat casseroles! Yum to chicken or beef casseroles on a cold night. Drink Swiss Miss hot chocolate, with or without marshmallows. I’m not fussy about the marshmallows, but the hot chocolate has to be Swiss Miss. It’s the best I’ve tasted, and I’ve tried all the ones our supermarkets sell: Jarrah, Cadbury, Lindt, Nestlé. None of them comes close! I wear chunky bed socks because if my feet are cold, the rest of me is cold too, no matter how many blankets I’ve got on me. Phew! I had to dig deep to find five things I like to do in winter. Now it’s time to move on to my favourite seasons, spring and summer. Spring I am in no way a gardener, but there’s something about the excitement of seeing sunshine and flowers start to bloom that makes me want to grow something, anything. I usually make a trip to Bunnings to buy some potted flowers for the front garden. Then I just try to remember to water them and pray for their survival. I love sitting on my front step and smelling my neighbour’s jasmine in the villa opposite ours. The scent is so strong it wafts right over, and what’s even better is that if I leave the front door open with just the fly screen, you can even faintly smell it inside the house. It’s spring over here, and I’m planning to go to Bunnings this weekend. Maybe I should buy a Jasmine plant. Open the windows and shout hooray, it’s spring! Only kidding, I just open the windows—there’s no shouting. Go to a spring fair or Oktoberfest. My sweet, kind friend and I usually find a spring fair somewhere. Last year we went to Cronulla… or was it the year before? Time goes so fast! Every year I say, “We should go on a picnic.” Spring is picnic weather, don’t you agree? I need to organise one pronto! Summer When I host Cousin Connect in the summer, I like to eat in our courtyard with the long fold-out tables, fairy lights on, music on and pretend we are in Italy. Drink Aperol Spritz Count down the days until the summer school holidays and get ready for Christmas. Find a rooftop bar, listen to live music, and enjoy the evening lights. I enjoy going along to my husband’s swim club on Sunday mornings when they have socials, like BBQs. They do amazing BBQs. We missed last year’s season because he gave himself a year off after his knee replacement, but this year he’ll be back. Notice I haven’t mentioned swimming or any water activities on my summer list. I’m more of an eater than a swimmer, and sand is definitely not my friend… unless I’m in Hawaii. Autumn I don’t love autumn at all. To get out of my funk about summer being over, I like to watch YouTube videos of cozy autumn living in Nordic countries. Cooler weather always looks better on the other side of the world. Eat apple pie and ice cream. I could eat it any time of the year, but somehow it cheers me up in autumn. Watch Hallmark movies that are “fall” related. Autumn looks like so much fun in the Northern Hemisphere. There’s pumpkin spice everything (not that I like the flavour very much, I want to love it, but I don’t), apples, crunchy leaves, scarves, boots, and of course, Halloween. All the cozy vibes I wish we had here. Celebrate Easter! Count the months until spring. Humbug. So there you have it, 5 things I like to do in each season. If you’re reading from the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll notice we do things differently over here in Australia because our seasons are the opposite. And here’s a fun fact: there are actually more countries up north than down here, which is why autumn leaves, pumpkin spice, and all those cozy vibes are happening while we’re still enjoying summer. And yes, that also means Christmas happens in the heat. Here, you can even find Christmas postcards that show Santa riding a surfboard instead of a sleigh. Funny, hey? Linking up with Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne, and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends, it’s that time again to share a few favourites from my week. I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for Friday Favourites, and I’m so happy you’re here 😊 Getting my shopping delivered and not having to do the weekly grocery run in-store is such a favourite. We have about three Woolworths nearby, so getting a delivery time slot is never a problem. I paid the yearly subscription fee for Delivery Unlimited, so as long as I spend over $70 (which is not hard with grocery prices), there’s no delivery fee. Woop woop! Our first Monday-of-the-month catch-up with friends at our local RSL for dinner was fun. I always used to order the steamed barramundi with broccoli and rice when the previous team ran the bistro, but now the menu has completely changed. It’s mainly all burgers, pizzas, steaks, and fish. The grilled fish with chips and salad was delicious, and I liked that they gave me a decent amount of tartare sauce. I love my sauces, well, most of them. Not BBQ sauce; it’s too sweet. I wore this to dinner on Monday night. Look, no socks! It was cool, so I still needed a coat, but not cold enough for my usual woolly socks. I almost felt naked! I made this chicken dish the other night. It was a hit! And yes, Steve has been really happy to cook dinner a couple of nights this week on his nights off. Last week, I shared that I sometimes have trouble letting go of control in the kitchen. My friends always tease me when they find out I have a chef husband and don’t let him cook. Times are a changing, friends! Another sign that spring is slowly coming along. This lonely yellow rose is growing in my front garden, and I can’t wait to see more pop up soon. God keeps growing these every year, because I have no green thumb. I had to pop out of work for an hour for a follow-up doctor’s appointment. I was so anxious leading up to it that I couldn’t eat a thing. Yikes — I really need to do something about this doctor anxiety before I give myself a heart attack. I felt dizzy and faint all morning. When I finished with the doctor, I felt my soul re-enter my body and, suddenly, I was starving. As a reward for surviving the dreaded appointment, I treated myself to sushi and ate it in the car before I went back to work. Thursday night was date night at Ikea, haha! Hot dogs for two, followed by chips and gravy. For dessert, we had soft serves–cheers! This time, Steve waited for me at the cafeteria while I walked the Ikea maze after we had our fancy dinner. It’s funny how you can always find things you didn’t know you needed—like this high pillow I got just for me. Steve asked, “I didn’t know you needed a pillow,” and I said, “Well, no, I really didn’t… but you weren’t there to convince me.” Lucky for him, I passed on the small Bluetooth speaker, brown glass vase, floor lamp, and footstool. And that’s a wrap for a few of my favourite things this week. Oh, it’s been a week! I wish I could share everything, but I can’t because it’s all work-related, and I’d like to stay employed. Some days have felt like living in a crazy sitcom. I’m grateful I can call it a sitcom and not a horror movie of a week, thanks to some of my amazing work colleagues. They’re a mix of personalities, sweet, kind, funny, supportive, and full of ideas they’re happy to share. And there’s one who is just downright hilarious. She can make even the worst days feel like the best days. How good is that? It would be so great to introduce them to you so you’d see exactly what I mean. I’m lucky to call them not just colleagues, but friends, and that’s my favourite thing of all. Hooray for Friday! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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Hello Monday

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Oh my gosh, I can’t tell you how excited I am to give September a big hero’s welcome. At the same time, I’m in total disbelief at how fast this year is flying by! On Sunday, I was in TK Maxx and saw Halloween mugs and decorations on the shelves—I thought, “Huh… but it’s only April?” I don’t know why my brain is still stuck in April. And then, at work the other day, I was filling out a medication form and accidentally wrote 2021. Yikes! Either something really significant must have happened in April 2021, or I’m losing my mind. Anyway, it’s great to be back on this sunny September Monday to share a bit about my weekend (before I forget what day it is). Thank you so much for being here! On Saturday, I caught up with a couple of friends I hadn’t seen in ages. We met at a café called Self Raised, which isn’t too far from where I live. It’s a tiny cafe with only outdoor seating, and we were lucky to find a sunny spot. I wore my woolly jumper and jacket so I felt nice and warm. We did have to hold on to our napkins and paper plates, though, because the wind was crazy strong! I ordered a coffee with a pepperoni and honey focaccia. You’d never think honey and pepperoni would work together, but it was surprisingly good, kind of like watermelon and feta. It doesn’t make much sense until you taste it, and then you get it. In the evening, I did some preschool work. I always swore I would never take the preschool laptop home and do work on the weekend. But with some temporary changes in the team, I’ve taken on more than my usual load. It’s only until the end of term, though. Then the laptop can stay at preschool and enjoy the weekend off, just like me. In the evening, I watched a Danish movie on Netflix called Maybe Baby. It was okay, entertaining enough, with a few little naps for me in between. There’s a Maybe Baby 2, but I’m not sure if I’ll watch it. Sunday The Gap Dust cleaner I ordered on Amazon the night before arrived on Sunday morning. I don’t know why, maybe because I’m a grown-up adult now, but cleaning gadgets inspire me. So there I was, still in my pyjamas, and I gave the duster a go under my fridge, and wow, seeing all the dust that came out was so satisfying. So I got changed fast out of my PJs, and dusted the ceiling fan, under the couches and so on and so on. I always try hard to stick to my cleaning routine during the week and keep Sundays for relaxing. But getting into some of the nooks and crannies was kind of relaxing… well, maybe not relaxing, but definitely satisfying. I even moved the bed. Why is there always SO much dust hiding back there? Steve and I had planned to go to the café for Portuguese tarts, but we never made it as he needed a big sleep-in. He had to work extra late on Saturday, and even though he’s cut back his days, sometimes, if it gets busy, he still has to do extra hours. I had those tarts on my brain, though! So when he went to work in the afternoon, I walked up and bought two. When he came home late in the evening, we enjoyed them with a cup of tea and two episodes of Seinfeld. Perfect way to end a weekend that went by way too fast. Enjoying something sweet and something funny. Happy Monday! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends, it’s time to wrap up the week with a few favourites. Let’s go! Dinner with Friends First up, we caught up with some friends for dinner on Tuesday night. I wasn’t sure if I’d be in any shape to go out after work because it was a long day—work, then a meeting, and then a CPR refresher training course. I had visions of myself falling asleep in my food like Jane Fonda in Monster in Law–haha, have you seen it? Just the other day I watched it again—so funny! But knowing I had something fun to look forward to helped me push through the day. By the time we sat down for dinner, I was so glad I went. The food was good, the company was even better. Steve and I have known this couple since our teens—well, my teens, not his, he’s six years older than me hehe. What’s for Dinner I shared on Wednesday that I usually do the cooking. Partly because I enjoy having a familiar show on while I do it, and mostly because I struggle with letting go of my usual routine. But on Thursday, I finally decided to take up Steve’s offer to help. Normally, our conversation goes like this:“Hey, do you want me to make dinner tonight?”Me: “Oh, it’s okay, I’ll do it when I get home.” I must have had rocks in my head. I mean, seriously—who doesn’t take up the offer to have dinner made for them?! So he made roast beef and gravy using the pan juices. I always just use the Maggi packet mix. He also roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes in the air fryer, made a garden salad, and everything tasted amazing. The beef was so tender, and the gravy was incredible. He even made bolognese sauce for Friday, so we can have it with pasta (my favourite) or rice (Sam’s favourite—I know, right? Who has bolognese sauce with rice?! Haha). And just like that, I’ve decided he can have the kitchen on Thursdays and make us as many meals as he likes. I’m hanging up my apron. Well, not totally hanging it up. Oh yes—did I mention he’s a chef? Yep… I’m almost too embarrassed to share this, but I’ve been married to a chef for so long, and I’ve always insisted on doing the cooking. And I’ve been feeding him packet gravy mix. Treats Sweet treats brought to us by our fun work colleague are always a favourite. This week, it was a packet of mint slices and a packet of Gaiety biscuits. I’d never had the Gaiety before, but I’ve already put them on my shopping list—they’re layers of crisp wafer filled with smooth hazelnut chocolate cream, all coated in milk chocolate. So delicious—these biscuits had me at hazelnut! Last week was tough at work with all the rain and being stuck indoors, and this same wonderful snack-supplying colleague and kind friend surprised me with a little care package. It had a note that made me LOL, chocolates, creamy-filled biscuits, and a Vodka Cruiser. You know what I’m having tonight? Ya—all three! 😉 And that’s a wrap for this week’s favourites. I’m off to have a shower, eat dinner, watch something on TV, and enjoy my snacks. It’s going to be the best Friday evening ever! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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What’s Up Wednesday

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Hi friends, welcome to What’s Up Wednesday! It’s that time again to share a few highlights from August. Thanks so much for stopping by—I always appreciate you being here. WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK Monday – Chilli con carne with rice. To jazz things up a bit, I added some turmeric to the rice to make it yellow. It doesn’t change the flavour, but it makes the dish more colourful Tuesday – We went to Allawah Pub for dinner with friends. I had the chicken schnitzel with chips, salad and gravy, but after seeing my friend’s chicken and leek pie, I knew I should have ordered that instead. I had major pie envy! Wednesday – Roast chicken with mash and vegetables Thursday – Spaghetti bolognese. Friday – Roast beef Saturday – leftovers My husband convinced me to let him cook today (and for the rest of the week!). I’m not sure why I’ve never taken him up on his offer — he’s really helpful around the house and actually enjoys being in the kitchen. Part of me loves zoning out while I cook, but another part of me is starting to think… why not let him take over more often? He’s cut back on his work hours and could even look at retiring, but after watching the Netflix documentary The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, we both decided we’d like to keep working. I’m happy doing full-time, and he’s happy to scale back, and it’s working really well. We get to spend more time together. That said, it has definitely shaken up my little evening routine, where I used to be home alone with my own schedule that included cooking. I’m enjoying having him around more, but it’s a change — and even good change takes me a little while to get used to. Do you get what I mean? Anyway, my weekly meal planning turned into a bit of a therapy session — thanks for letting me get that off my chest! 😅 In a nutshell… I think I might have a few control issues — yikes! WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT To be honest… I can’t think of anything. WHAT I’M LOVING I’ve spotted some flowers blooming in my garden and in other people’s gardens on my walks to and from work. After what feels like an eternal winter, I’m so happy to see evidence of spring starting to peek through! WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO The highlights in August have been Cousin Connect. We celebrated Steve’s birthday with a lunch at home, just the four of us. Then, on his actual birthday, we had breakfast at The Boat Shed and walked around exploring La Perouse–such a lovely spot! We had lunch at The Opera Bar last weekend. Those were the fun moments, and then for the rest of the month, it was just the usual work routine. WHAT I’M DREADING Tomorrow I’m leading an evacuation drill at work. This time, it’s a bigger scenario, and we have to evacuate to the local park. Hmph, just thinking about it stresses me out! First of all, this group of children are very lively, so rounding them up will be ‘fun.’ Then it’s roll call, grabbing all the necessary things (medication, etc.), getting them onto the walking rope, we’ll be using the walking rope with loop handles (sometimes called doughnut rings) and crossing a busy road. We practised a drill on Tuesday that was led by another educator, and I made the mistake of directing one of the boys to “hold on to the doughnut.” So he started chewing on it: “But Miss Ruth, you said it was a doughnut!” Lord, give me strength! WHAT I’M WATCHING The Gilded Age– it’s so good and reminds me a little of Downton Abbey, which I loved so much. I also finished watching Friends Like Her, a series from New Zealand. I’d never watched a show from New Zealand before, and I enjoyed it so much — lots of drama, but not the stressful kind I can’t handle at the moment, just entertaining drama. Then on Sunday night, we started watching Hostage. We’ve only got two episodes left, and I’m wondering if it’s a limited series or not. We’re really into it and can’t wait to see how it ends! WHAT I’M LISTENING TO This is part of my Music & Movement Spotify playlist. Most of these songs are new to me (except A Ram Sam Sam), and I’ve been practising the actions so I can get them right before introducing them to the preschool kids. WHAT I’M WEARING Still in winter clothes, BUT the good news is I’m down one layer this week. Spring is coming! WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND Coffee and Portuguese tarts on Saturday morning. Then I’m catching up with some friends I haven’t seen in ages in the afternoon. Sunday looks like it’ll be a stay-at-home day. WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH Spring! Hooray for spring! And that’s a wrap on August! I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. I have to admit, my favourite months are coming, and I’m so excited! From September onwards, it’s spring, the fun festivities are on the way, and everything just feels brighter and more upbeat. I hope you all had a great August, and here’s hoping September is good to all of us! Linking up with Shay

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Hello Monday

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Hi friends, it’s great to be back today on this sunny — yes, sunny — Monday! Woohoo, the rain finally stopped, and we got to enjoy a dry weekend. I was chatting to one of the preschool parents this morning, and we both agreed how spoilt we are living in Sydney, where the sky is bright blue most of the year. Hooray for that! Now it’s time to link up with Holly and Sarah to share a little about our weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by! Saturday We kicked off the weekend with a trip to the Opera Bar. After a week of rain, it seemed like half of Sydney had the same idea — Circular Quay was buzzing, and every harbourside restaurant was packed. We got lucky and found a table as soon as we arrived, right near the live music. It still amazes me that you don’t have to book — you can just wander in. The menu prices are pretty reasonable, too, considering the location and the view. You can even get bottles of wine that are cheaper than at some local spots. Opera Bar is changing hands after 24 years, with a new group taking over in mid-September. Fingers crossed they don’t mess with the magic or make it too fancy or exclusive. I love that it’s a fun, relaxed, easygoing place where you can grab a drink, something to eat, and hang out for as long as you like. Ha! Here I am, getting fussy about change before it’s even happened. I’m sure it’ll still be amazing… maybe even better. We ordered a hot seafood platter, and it came with a little mesh dome cover to stop the seagulls from pinching your food. Everyone had their plates covered, which I didn’t remember from our previous visits — maybe because we got there during the peak lunch period this time. We saw the trained border collies wandering around the bar with their trainers, keeping the seagulls away. There wasn’t a huge flock, just the odd persistent bird hovering here and there. I was a bit scared one might poop on my head — yikes! After lunch, we popped into a little patisserie for dessert. We were pretty full from lunch, so we shared a chocolate éclair with our coffee. Next time, there will be no sharing! Steve had to work in the evening, so I spent the night searching for new songs for our preschool music and movement time. There are so many fantastic ideas from some really passionate early childhood content creators — I need to get my zing back this year. Sunday Sunday is our brunch day, and we had scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, salmon, and sourdough. Steve went to work, and I walked to Westfield to buy some new pants for work — I’d worn my old ones to death. I used to just wear clothes from my wardrobe that I no longer liked. But they made me feel bleh because I was wearing clothes I didn’t like every single day. And they weren’t usually comfortable anyway. Now I just buy clothes especially for work from Uniqlo. My work wardrobe is simple with basic pieces I can mix and match. They wash well and are actually comfortable. Win-win! The pants I wanted were half price, so I bought a grey pair and a black pair. I also got a couple of ribbed long-sleeved T-shirts and a jumper. I was hungry after my shopping, so I treated myself to a Happy Meal from McDonald’s. It came with a toy, which I offered to my 20-year-old when I got home — he had a laugh but politely declined. I’ll give it to my oldest son, the 32-year-old who likes collecting things like this. Hehe. Then in the evening, I worked on a storybook version of a song about kindness on Canva. It has a lovely, soothing melody, but it’s a bit wordy for 4- and 5-year-olds. I figured pairing it with illustrations while we listened might help it stick. Who knows — this year has been all about learning to be kind. Pray for me! Happy Monday!

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends, welcome to Friday Favourites. When I sat down to write this post, I could almost hear crickets chirping, because that just about sums up my week. I don’t want to be a downer, but I think my only favourite this week is that today is finally Friday. But in the spirit of keeping things positive and chipper, I’m going to dig deep and find some more favourites. I’m usually a glass-half-full kind of person… after I’ve had a little panic first. I guess that’s why I like this link-up—it makes me look for the favourite parts of what’s sometimes a week you’d rather forget. More Rain And speaking of weeks you’d rather forget—let’s start with the weather. It rained all week. All. Week. I tell you!! And yes, that’s annoying: the washing can’t dry on the line, the house feels damp, and it’s just generally gloomy. But when you work in childcare, wet weeks are a whole other level of misery. I don’t think we got to play outside at all this week. And this year, we have a bunch of lively children (read between the lines, my educator friends) who need about 50 hectares to burn off all that energy. On the upside, even though it was a tough week with wild weather and wilder children, I work with some genuinely lovely people, and I’m lucky enough to call some of them my friends. They’re the ones I can roll my eyes at and laugh with when we’re in the trenches. Soup So, what’s another favourite? …thinking…thinking… Oh yes! I finally pulled out the leftover leg bone from our Christmas ham that had been taking up space in the freezer and decided to make split pea and ham soup. I had to do it before we hit summer—otherwise, what’s the point, right? At first I was annoyed because the bone didn’t fit into the pot, so it was sticking out. And I’d started making the soup at 8 pm on Monday night. Who does that?? Me, I guess—once I get my mind set on something. Anyway, in the end, the soft bits from the end of the bone came away, and the whole bone slid snugly into the pot. It simmered away for a couple of hours. After I pulled out the bone, I blitzed it and ended up with the creamiest soup. I’ve been eating it for lunch all week, and although it’s not the prettiest soup, it sure tastes good! You could also call it my farewell-to-winter meal. In a few weeks, I can say, “Goodbye winter, see you later—don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Aldi Favourites Another favourite this week? My husband went to Aldi to buy more of the porcini mushroom Trangioli that I talked about last Friday. It was that good—he went grocery shopping! I took the chance to add a few more things to his list, and even slipped night-time face cream on there. The wonderful thing about Aldi is that they don’t stock major choices. So I was pretty sure he’d get it right. He came home with the regular cream instead of the one labelled “mature” (so yes, technically me). I actually prefer the regular cream because it’s lighter, and when I told him I was proud he got it right, he admitted he was scared of buying the “older ladies” cream! Haha! And that’s a few things that made this week a bit brighter. It’s supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow—hard to imagine when it’s pouring right now. Anyway, fingers crossed the weather bureau has got it right. Wishing you (and me) a bright and sunny weekend!

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Hello Monday

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Hi friends! It’s great to be back on this freezing, cold, windy, and rainy Monday. Now that I’ve given you the weather report, I can move on to the weekend recap, hehe. The weekend was all about Steve’s birthday celebrations. His actual birthday was on Sunday, but because he works on weekends, we decided to spread things out and celebrate on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday Our eldest son came over, and Steve didn’t start work until 7 pm, so it made sense to have a cozy, long lunch just the four of us on that day. I made his favourite pot roast and served it with rice, because everyone loves rice at my house. I’m more of a potato girl myself, so I made some potatoes too—double carbs, why not? When one of your kids has moved out, I can’t tell you how special these times are. Just sitting at the table, eating and sharing stories about everyday life — you never want these moments to end! I got a Black Forest cake from The Cheesecake Shop, and when I went to pick it up in the morning, I was surprised by the bright red topping—yikes! It didn’t really look like your typical Black Forest cake, and I nearly swapped it for a strawberries-and-cream one. But in the end, I figured I’d give it a go because it was just us, and we’re not fussy. It turned out to be a good decision, because it tasted great! I had two, maybe three… okay, yeah, three slices—and I’m not even much of a cake eater (unless we’re having Pavlova, and then I easily lose all self-control). After the cake, we gave Steve his present—a Samsung smartwatch. Oh my gosh, we all laughed so much when he pulled the watch in its white box out of the gift bag and his first reaction was, “Oh wow, thanks… nougat!” Haha! For a split second, he actually thought we had given him a bar of nougat. I was laughing so hard—he’s so easily pleased, we could have saved the money! Then Steve went to work, and Luke stayed until past midnight. The three of us watched a movie called I Saw the TV Glow. Hmmmm… definitely interesting and full of meaning. I didn’t exactly love it, nor did I dislike it. It’s the kind of film that lingers in your head. My boys enjoy these deep, thought-provoking movies, and I used to love the same kind of movies and books when I was young. Now I prefer entertaining ones where I don’t have to figure out the ending! Sunday Sunday was Steve’s actual birthday. He starts work at 2 pm on Sundays, so we went out to La Perouse for breakfast at a place called The Boatshed. Eggs Benedict for the two of us (Sam had to work). The sky was so blue, and it was lovely and sunny, such a welcome change from the dreary, rainy days we had last week. But it was still cold and very windy! After breakfast, we walked around La Perouse and saw Bare Island Fort, built back in 1885 as part of Sydney’s coastal defences. Do you recognise this bridge? It’s the Bare Island Bridge that they used for a motorcycle chase scene in Mission: Impossible II (2000). It was a very dramatic scene—Ethan Hunt was either being chased or maybe doing the chasing, I can’t quite remember. There were a lot of impressive motorcycle stunts and explosions. That I do remember! I really should rewatch it—it’s been ages since I last saw it. And that was Steve’s birthday weekend! How was your weekend? I hope it was a good one. Thanks so much for stopping by. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, stay warm—and remember, only a few more weeks before spring. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, lucky you! I’m jealous! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends! I hope you’ve had an amazing week. It’s been a very rainy one here, and somehow that makes the days feel even longer. So yes, I’m beyond happy that Friday’s finally here — hello weekend, phew! I know I shouldn’t wish time away, but I’m definitely ready to enjoy it. I’m joining Andrea and Erika to share some of my favourites. Thanks so much for stopping by! Counting Down To Spring It’s that time of year when winter feels like it’s been dragging on and on. I know spring is on the horizon, and I can’t wait for it to get here already. And that’s exactly what everyone I’ve spoken to this week is saying: “I can’t wait for spring!” I one hundred per cent agree — I almost feel like I should get a T-shirt printed in big neon 80s-style letters that says it! With it being so rainy and the sky grey most days, seeing this sunny sky on my way to work the other day was such a mood lifter. Of course, it rained a short while later… but we won’t talk about that. Family Catch-Up Ooops, I almost forgot to share that we had Cousin Connect last Sunday. I linked up on Monday to talk about how we take a break, so I didn’t recap the weekend. This month, we caught up on a Sunday night — the one evening that suited almost everyone. One of our cousins was heading overseas, so it was our last chance to see her before she left for the rest of the month. It was such a fun night, and catching up with everyone is always the highlight of my month! We enjoyed a delicious cheeseboard that my aunt brought. Then we had Mexican for dinner — nachos, fajitas, street corn salad, green leaf salad, and rice. After dinner, we watched the travel video, and I was happy that everyone enjoyed it. The outtakes were very funny, and I think the music landed really well. I threw in a few old-school hits from the ’80s, along with tracks from Coldplay, Empire of the Sun, Shaboozey, and The Weeknd. You can’t go wrong with classics! Then we started talking about our next possible Cousin adventure in January 2026. I’ll share more once it’s definite — that is, once we’ve bought our airline tickets and there’s no turning back. Yay! (Gulp — another plane ride!) Star Wars and Coke Have you seen the Star Wars collectible Coke cans — wow! I don’t buy Coke very often, so I hadn’t seen these before, but I picked some up for Cousin Connect. I thought about keeping one unopened, but then I remembered a lesson from my teen years. I once kept a limited-edition Coke can in my parents’ cabinet, and when I finally went to get it — who knows how long later — the bottom had almost completely dissolved. I lifted the can, and out came a sticky blobby mess. Bleh — so gross! Delicious Pasta Night This Aldi pasta is our favourite, and I hadn’t bought any in forever. I used to shop at Aldi a lot, but now I mostly use the Delivery Unlimited subscription from Woolworths to order my groceries online. I popped into Aldi the other day and bought a couple of boxes, and made it for dinner on Thursday. I kept it simple — a tomato-based sauce with canned Mutti tomatoes, garlic, and oregano — and it tasted so good. I seriously recommend this pasta; it tastes like it’s from a restaurant. Not even exaggerating! Snack Time Favourite Most of this week’s favourites are all about food! Haha — food is definitely my favourite topic. My kind friend dropped over a Baby Ruth the other day. These aren’t sold much around here, so it was such a treat. Would you believe I didn’t see any while we were in the U.S. this year? I looked in Target and Walmart, but couldn’t find any. So strange. I did manage to grab some bars of PayDay, though. I love them too, and I’m rationing them to myself. I’ll be so sad when they’re finished. That’s a wrap on this week’s favourites. On a special note, it’s my husband’s birthday this Sunday. He’s working this weekend, so we’re keeping it low-key and celebrating just the four of us tomorrow with a special lunch and cake. Hopefully, we’ll also squeeze in breakfast or brunch on Sunday, depending on how late he gets home from each shift and how he’s feeling. Other than tomorrow’s lunch, we’re just going with the flow and fitting in celebrations around work — that’s life when he’s in the hospitality industry! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

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How I Take a Break — Because Everyone Needs One!

9 Comments / Health and Well Being, Home

Hi friends, and welcome to this month’s Share Our Lives linkup. Today we’re chatting about how we take a break. Hmmm… how do I take a break? Well, I guess that really depends on a few things—like the season of life I’m in, what kind of day I’m having, and what I feel I need most in that moment. Breaks can be as simple as a small pause to reset (hello hormones and emotions), or they can be a mental holiday, where I let my mind wander. They can also be bigger, like fun getaways, trips, school term breaks, special occasions, or those glorious guilt-free days when I give myself permission to have a do-nothing (or almost nothing) day. So let’s get into it—come along with me as I share how I take a break. Micro-breaks I think micro-breaks are total sanity savers! They’re those tiny moments when you sneak away somewhere you can be alone—even if it’s just for a minute—to breathe before you lose your mind. Haha, I remember when the kids were little and the bathroom was the only place I could take a break. I’d lock the door and just sit there, taking a moment for myself. Have you ever done that? Mental holidays Sometimes I do a mental escape—in other words, I daydream. I’ll relive past trips or plan future ones (I’m starting to feel brave about getting on a plane now!). Other times, I let my mind wander to winning the lotto and how I’d decorate my mansion, especially thinking about what kind of lighting my walk-in wardrobe would have. A chandelier is way too much, so I’d probably go for sleek recessed lighting. Daydreaming like this might seem silly, but it’s a pretty good way to give your brain a break. It lets me step away from whatever is stressing me out at the moment and just have a bit of fun in my head, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Walking I walk to and from work. That walk before work is a mental break that helps me get ready for the day ahead. “Yes, today is going to be the best day ever” is my mantra. The walk home helps me shake off the stress and ringing in my ears from the constant noise at work. Walking is not only part of my routine, it’s also one of my favourite ways to take a break. Term Breaks and Special Occasions I’m so lucky to work in a preschool because we get term breaks! That means three glorious two-week breaks and then a big five-week break at the end of the year. I don’t think I would have lasted this long working in early childhood education if it weren’t for those precious term breaks. For me, special occasions like Christmas, public holidays, birthdays, and family gatherings are also a break. Unless you’re hosting, of course—then it’s all systems go! These special occasions are fun things to look forward to and a nice break from the usual routine. Do-Nothing Days Every now and then (though not as often as I’d like), I give myself a proper do-nothing day. That’s when I have no plans and decide, yep, today I’m doing nothing. But I can only do that now because my kids are grown and my husband works evenings, so I’m often home alone. When the kids were little and I was caring for my beautiful mum, a do-nothing day was impossible. Yikes — the house would have fallen apart! Do-nothing days are great. I’m still working on not feeling guilty about them, but that’s a whole other post. And that’s how I take a break! I also do things like enjoy a cup of tea, play Candy Crush, do a Duolingo lesson, and scroll through Pinterest for fashion and home decor inspiration. Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to hear what your go-to breaks are because we all sure do need them, don’t we? Have a wonderful day! Linking up with Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne and Sarah.

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