Friday Favourites – PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

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!