DECEMBER 2019 – TIPS & TRICKS

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!

HOPE YOU MANAGED TO ACHIEVE SOME SMALL GOALS THIS YEAR AND ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A WELL-DESERVED BREAK OVER SUMMER!

HERE ARE SOME TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE DECEMBER FESTIVIITES. WE HOPE YOU HAVE A JOLLY SEASON AND LOOK FORWARD TO 2020!

DECLUTTER FOR DECEMBER!

7 top tips to declutter your home in time for Christmas

With Christmas being the time of giving, eating and stuffing our homes with more stuff, now is the time to take the clutter bully by the horns and tame it. Create space for more (hopefully) good stuff to come into your home.

1. Many hands make light work
   It is about beginning realistic with your time and the amount of clutter you have to move. It’s time to use the D word and delegate to others, you can delegate by zones, with someone looks after the bathroom, another the living room or for really cluttered areas delegate flat surfaces to one person, walls to another, in other words chunk it down, you may even wish to base the decluttering on the individual’s capabilities.

2. Start and Finish
   Starting is always a good thing, remember it is not long before your home will start to groan under the weight of more STUFF. Importantly setting a finish date is always important otherwise time gets away from you, the whole process drags out and next thing it is Christmas eve and nothing is sorted.

3. Gather your tools
   Check your supplies of sturdy garbage bags and storage boxes, the clutter will either be donated, recycled or into your general waste bin. Remember to place recyclables loose in the bin, they do not need to go in a plastic bag, in fact the waste management companies prefer them loose. Stop the PRESS, not everything will be clutter, you may just need to return things to their correct home, hence it is important to check you have adequate storage boxes. To keep things on the eco organising path, always check what you have before going and buying more stuff.

4. The 5 minute dash
   You are all sorted, now it is time to hop to it. Want to make an instance impact, do the 5 minute dash. Set a timer on your mobile phone, oven or watch for 5 minutes. Grab a bag and dash around the room picking up all the rubbish, then pick up all recyclables. Once you have emptied the rubbish and recyclable, dash back inside and pick up all the things that do not below in the that space and return them to their correct home.

5. Sort it
   Hey presto you have decluttered a space, now it is time to sort the remaining items into logical order for this space to function for you.

6. Repeat
   Now that you have the hang of it, repeat this in every room in your home

7. Reward
   About now it is important to reward yourself for all your efforts. How would you reward yourself?

Well Deserved!

CHRISTMAS LIGHT SPECTACULAR

Each year, the facades of homes across the country glitter with Christmas light displays during December evenings.

So, if your Christmas isn’t bright and jovial without eyeing an LED-lit Santa perched on a local’s nature strip, consider this your guide to some of the very best (based on Dec 2018)

SYDNEY:

Sydney Road, Hornsby Heights
With more than 50 houses along Sydney Road draped in the brightest of lights, Sydney Road in Hornsby is one of Sydney’s most popular displays of Christmas lights. It’s one of the most-visited Christmas lights spots in the shire and runs every night from 8 o’clock.
If you’re making a sizeable trek, you can make the most of the experience by checking out some surrounding streets – including Brett Avenue, Plateau Close, Ulolo Avenue and Margaret Avenue – which also deck themselves in blinding Christmas spirit.

Borgnis Street, Davidson
Boasting its own community Facebook page, the Borgnis Street Christmas lights have become a kind of Davidson institution. The lights blink from 6.30pm to 10.30pm every day. There’s also a little something for those fancying a nibble as they walk, with the street home to a couple of ice-cream vans and a sausage sizzle.
Also, the street collects money for Bear Cottage, the only children’s hospice in NSW that is dedicated to caring for children with life-limiting conditions.

Mount Annan
The Rapids in Mount Annan won Camden Council’s Christmas Lights Competition last year (2017), so you know you’re coming to see something special. Mount Annan has a host of streets that take part in the festivities, with The Cascades another big drawcard for eager neighbours. Meanwhile, nearby Baldwin Close and Ellis Lane also draw a crowd to their own unique displays.

MELBOURNE:

The Boulevard, Ivanhoe
As one of Melbourne’s most well-known and longstanding Christmas light spots, The Boulevard erupts in the colour of Christmas every December. Since the 1950s, houses on The Boulevard have decorated their homes with elaborate displays. There will be coffee, ice-cream and local barbecues, too.

Preston, Gordon Grove: In Preston, a house on Gordon Grove has become a Christmas phenomenon of its own. Every year, number 47 puts on a display of more than 40,000 computerised Christmas lights that are synchronised to music and video.
Bill Chatziopoulos, a father of three and the mastermind behind the incredible show, does it for the sheer enjoyment of others.

BRISBANE:
Huron Street, Banyo
Huron Street was selected as a Northside Christmas Light winner 2017. For those who are after value for travel time, there’s the added benefit of stellar nearby streets boasting their own light displays, including Froude Street, Hilltop Place and Ellamark Street.

Graceville Avenue, Graceville
In Graceville, number 207 Graceville Avenue puts on quite a show. Complete with about 3500 LED lights synchronised to a 20-minute radio show, passers-by can sit in the car, marvel at the light show as its companion sound show blasts through their radio. The home was the winner of the Best Synchronised Music Display 2015.

Other Locations!

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:
5 Hampshire Crescent, Valley View
288 Aldinga Beach Road, Aldinga
Karingal Road, Dernancourt
8a Rosa Court, Happy Valley

ACT:
32 Elia Ware Crescent, Bonner
4 Stacy Street, Gowrie
35 Fellows Street, Mitcham

TREAT CHRISTMAS RECIPES! - Enjoy!

WATERMELON SALAD STARS

INGREDIENTS

• ½ Watermelon, cut into 1cm slices

• 60g smooth feta cheese

• Extra Virgin olive oil, to drizzle

• ¼ cup mint leaves

• Black pepper, to season

METHOD

• Using 5cm star cutters, cut 21 star shapes from watermelon slices

• On a large board or platter, arrange watermelon stars into the shape of a Christmas tree.

• Crumble over feta, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with mint leaves and black pepper

CREATIVE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

Reindeer Biscuits

• 20 mini – star shaped pretzels

• 10 red M&M’s

• 20 candy eyes

• 10 Tim Tams (see note)

• 50g dark chocolate, melted and cooled

Method:

• Using picture as a guide.

• Attach pretzels, M&M’s and candy eyes to Tim Tam Biscuits using melted chocolate

• Refrigerate until set.

Bauble Biscuits

• 90g dark chocolate, melted, cooled

• 3 rainbow sour straps, cut lengthways into thin strips

• 10 Venetian Biscuits

• M&M’s and M&M’s minis to decorate

Method:

• Using picture as a guide.

• Place melted chocolate in a small snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner.

• Fold sour strap pieces into small bows, securing with a little chocolate.

• Pipe chocolate onto biscuits

• Attach bows, M&M’s and mini M&M’s to biscuits

• Refrigerate until set.

Pudding Biscuits

• 90g white chocolate, melted, cooled

• 10 milk chocolate digestive biscuits (see note)

• 20 mini red M&M’s

Method:

• Place melted chocolate into a small snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner

• Using Picture as a guide

• Pipe chocolate over top of each biscuit to from ‘custard’.

• Decorate with mini M&M’s and cloud lollies

• Refrigerate until set

Christmas Lunch – the Aussie Way

Prawn Cocktail Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 300g dried penne pasta

• 1kg cooked prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact

• 1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, thinly sliced

• 1 avocado, sliced

• 60g baby leaf salad mix

• 1 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped

• ¼ cup small fresh mint leaves

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus extra sprigs to serve

DRESSING

• 170g (2/3 cup) whole-egg mayonnaise

• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

DRESSING

Step 1

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet directions or until al dente. Refresh under cold water and drain.

Step 2

Meanwhile, for the dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, tomato sauce, juice and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl

Step 3

Arrange the pasta, prawns, cucumber, avocado, salad mix, chives, mint and dill on a platter. Season Drizzle with the dressing and scatter with extra dill

SOME OFFICE INSPIRATION FOR CHRISTMAS! – Perfect for office Kris Kringle or similar

DECORATE YOUR WORK DESK!

AND OUT INTO THE REST ROOMS – GINGERBREAD MAN HOUSE

FUNNIES TO END THE YEAR

AND TO END OFF THE YEAR –
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US AT EAN!

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