Lunch at The Grounds - an Aladdin theme

We had lunch at The Grounds of Alexandria the other day. It had been ages since our last visit so it was nice to see a few new changes, check out the flowers and eat there again. 

The Grounds is currently adorned in an Aladdin theme and it was fun to see the Aladdin themed cakes, drinks etc.  There were even drinks served in a golden lamp....

We had lunch at The Potting Shed. I love dining amongst all of the plants and greenery there.

So much inspiration for the home and garden. 

I've popped up a few photos from our visit below -

Have you been to The Grounds lately?

I can't wait to see their next installation!

Noah turns 4 - a birthday lunch with family

Noah is turning 4 next week so I got the family together over the weekend to celebrate. I can't believe our baby is almost 4! He loved seeing all of his grandparents, aunty, uncle and cousins and knew the day was all about him. 

As there were 15 of us for lunch I wanted to create a long table for us to all sit together. I popped 2 trestle tables together, hired 15 plastic chairs and then set the table with things we had at home.

To create the runner I got a roll of craft paper from the supermarket and wrote birthday messages on it in black texta. Too easy but cute and something different. I then placed various pot plants from around the house down the centre of the table and scattered Noah's matchbox cars between them.

 A number 4 balloon and other balloons in his favourite colours were the finishing festive touch.

Even though the adults outnumbered the kids I wanted to add some fun and personalised touches to the birthday lunch. I made up these straws with Noah's sweet face on them, some tiny teddy cars, organised a couple of party games and filled a piñata with treats for the kids to go wild on!

We started off with a platter and drinks outside while we watched Noah unwrap his gifts. 

Then we sat down to a bbq lunch with a couple of salads and a potato bake. Yum! 

It was then time for Noah to blow out his candles and cut the cake. I made him his favourite chocolate mud cake and popped some Kinder Surprises and other choccies on top.

Simon also made his famous pavlova, it was a hit. Not a crumb left!

It was so lovely to get everyone together to celebrate our beautiful boys birthday.

We love you Noah to infinity and beyond!

Back to school - lunch box ideas

One more week and the kids go back to school. I'm pretty organised and have ticked new uniforms, school shoes, stationery supplies and new lunch boxes off my list. 

I am loving these personalised lunch boxes from Stuck on You. They are a great size and the new range of colours are gorgeous.  I always love to have the boys names front and centre on all of their school stuff as there is less chance of it being left in the playground and ending up in lost property.  Plus the fact that the lunch boxes are insulated is wonderful as their lunches will stay cooler and fresher for longer.

I also picked out these matching pencil cases. They are a great size and can fit all of their pens, pencils, rubbers etc. Even a ruler.

Now that I have the school supplies sorted my mind has turned to lunch box ideas. 

I'm always full of enthusiasm at the start of the year to provide new and delicious lunches.
Something different from the same old sandwich I fall back on.
I came across some great ideas on Pinterest. 

Here are my favourites - 

10 Sandwich-Free Lunch Ideas found here

Healthy Berry Muffins. Recipe found here

More Sandwich Free ideas here

Pizza rolls. Recipe here

I can't resist sandwiches cut into cute shapes! More bento ideas here

These fruit infused waters look delish!

Banana and Blueberry Bread. Recipe found here

Mini quiches. Recipe at Baby Mac 

Hokkien Noodle Salad. Recipe here

What are your favourite lunches to pack for school?

Are you organised and ready for school to start?

You can also check out some of my afternoon tea ideas here

As my boys always come home from school starving!

Lately......

Here is a little of what we have been up to lately. With all the wind and rain that has been around, our weeks have been a little restricted in what we can do and where we can go.  

Autumn colours

DVD's on rainy days

I popped into Manyara Home the other day, so many beautiful things!

Lots of catch ups in cafes 

We watched the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight at home and it needed Pimms and a platter

Noah is going through a phase where he is pulling every single toy out and dumping it in the middle of the room so when his room is tidy I'm taking a photo!

Interesting dress code at lunch the other day ;)

How has your week been?

Anything interesting coming up?

Lunch out - The Boathouse - Palm Beach

We're coming up to 2 weeks of having the flu at home. We have all had it and have basically been housebound for the last fortnight.
On Friday I took the opportunity to get out of the house and meet Simon on his lunch break. We popped into The Boathouse at Palm Beach. 

The place is in such a lovely location and we were lucky to beat the crowds. After 12pm there was not a spare seat in sight and the line to order was a long one.
My pea and ham soup was a fluro green but tasted delicious. It was nice to get out and feel the sun and hopefully this week we will all have fully recovered.
How have you been?