Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 21, 2025 i that's life!

While it’s fair to say we aren’t huge fashionistas on team tl!, we still love looking at what’s in our fashion pages each week. There’s always some great inspiration, a bargain to be spotted or even just ‘window-shopping’ to be enjoyed browsing the page. This week we love the burgundy colour that’s in this autumn. It got us talking about what colours suit us, and the new trend of buying clothes to match your ‘season’. It’s not about the time of year, but relates to your hair, skin and eye tone. And if you get it right, it can make you look brighter and even less tired by helping hide dark circles. Have you ever found you get compliments when you wear a certain outfit? Chances are, you’re wearing a…

Shelley was out for a run with her dog when her world turned upside down Shelley Puchalsky, 41 Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I loaded the kids and our shih tzu dog, Chloe, into the car for the morning school run. After walking my boys, Jackson, then 10, and Roman, eight, to their classrooms, I gave them one last cuddle. ‘Have a beautiful day,’ I said. It was September 2019, the sun was shining and I had the day off work as a real estate agent. Already in my activewear, I decided to do something I loved – go for a run with Chloe. Arriving at the local park 10 minutes from home, I pulled into my usual spot and, after fastening Chloe’s lead, set off running. As my…

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BANANA SPLIT PANCAKES SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 45 MINS Melted butter, for greasing 2 bananas (300g), sliced Whipped cream, chopped Crunchie chocolate bar, to serve PANCAKE BATTER 1¾ cups self-raising flour 2 tbsp caster suga r 1½ cups buttermilk 2 eggs, lightly beaten CHOCOLATE FUDGE SAUCE (makes 1 cup) 150g dark chocolate, chopped ⅓ cup thickened cream 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp golden syrup 1 To make chocolate fudge sauce, combine all ingredients in a medium heatproof bowl. Sit bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. 2 For pancake batter, combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Combine buttermilk and eggs in a medium jug. Whisk well. Whisk into flour mixture until…

Luke and his family were sound asleep when disaster struck Luke Hanan, 45, Tauranga, NZ Dipping my brush into the bucket of white paint, I applied a final coat to the living room wall. Taking a step back, I looked around at all our hard work – a whopping two years of house renovations. ‘We’re finally finished!’ I beamed to my partner Teressa, then 34. I’d purchased the four-bedroom house located at the bottom of a hill in Tauranga, NZ, a few years earlier in 2019. It needed a lot of work, but we planned to transform it into our dream home for our blended family, including my kids, Natalie, then 14, Morgan, 12, and Mason, nine, and Teressa’s children, Blake, 12, and Bailie, nine. Aside from painting, we’d also…

Debra wrote a memoir as an ode to the joyful life she shared with her beloved husband Don – despite his dementia diagnosis Debra Graves, 63, Indooroopilly, Qld Wiping tears from my eyes, I beamed at my partner Don, then 60. We were on holiday in Phuket, Thailand, and he’d just asked me to be his wife after four years together. ‘Yes!’ I cried, excitedly. Don and I met through mutual friends in 1990. I was instantly struck by his cheeky sense of humour and charisma. We wed in Brisbane on November 11, 1995, when I was 33 and he was 61. Sharing a love of travel, we explored Australia and the world together, with trips to Paris, Hong Kong, Mykonos, and countless other corners of the globe. Working as…

After suffering terribly, Liv wants more women like her to be heard Liv Kivlighon, 25, Melbourne, Vic Clutching my belly, I desperately reached for pain relief. ‘Oh love, hopefully you’ll feel better soon,’ my mum, Jacqui, then 48, soothed. It was 2019 and, aged 19, I’d been experiencing excruciating period pain for three years. I’d been on the pill since I was 16 as I’d been told it’d help with cramps, but lately, they’d started getting bad again. Not only were they painful – like my insides were being stabbed and run over at the same time – but my periods were super heavy, and I was having to change my pad every half an hour. My cycles were also irregular – often happening every 50 days or so. In…

♥ Your pets ♥ Your family ♥ Your friends ♥ Your world WE PAY FOR EACH PHOTO USED Our three girls Lexie, Isla and Willow love playing on the jumping pillow with their dad Matt! Teagan Houston, Leopold, Vic Pup Gizmo and Mister Minion all ready for a car trip. Sue Brown, Cranbourne, Vic $50 CASH WHAT’S ODD? PUZZLE HOW TO WIN... This image has been taken from the film Death on the Nile. We have added something that doesn’t appear in the original scene (4,5). Write which object doesn’t belong only on the entry coupon and you could be a winner. Turn to entry coupon (p50) to enter! Leo was thrilled to meet Superman and Supergirl on a recent visit to Movie World. Kylie Carter, Rokeby, Tas Harvey and…

After jailing her abuser, Kylie wants to help other victims Kylie Bailey, 47, Gumeracha, SA As my stepdad Jeff, then 25, pushed me on the see-saw, I laughed. He’d been such a doting parent to me and my baby brother, Matthew, coming into our lives six months after our parents split up. While our mum Ann, then 28, was working late nights at an electrical shop, Jeff would pick us up from daycare and cook us dinner. But soon Jeff began to express his affection in other ways. When he was bathing me, his hands strayed to my private areas. ‘I love you,’ he’d tell me. ‘It’s our secret. No need to tell Mum.’ Aged just three, I still knew something was terribly wrong. Jeff moved in the following year…

CINNAMON CROISSANT FRENCH TOASTS SERVES 4 PREP & COOK 18 MINS 4 regular-sized croissants (350g) 3 eggs ½ cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp cinnamon sugar, plus extra to serve Fresh berries, vanilla ice-cream, maple syrup, to serve 1 Cut each croissant in half horizontally. 2 Line base of a 7-litre air fryer basket with baking paper and spray with cooking oil.  3 Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar in a medium bowl until combined. Transfer mixture to large shallow dish.  4 Add half the croissants to egg mixture in a single layer. Stand for 1 min. Turn over and repeat on other side. Remove, allowing excess egg mixture to drip into dish.  5 Arrange croissants cut-side up in prepared basket. Spray with cooking oil. Air fry on…

APPLE CRUMBLE GINGERBREAD PIE SERVES 8-10 PREP AND COOK 1 HOUR 15 MINS 150g butter, chopped 125g cream cheese, chopped 1⅔ cups plain flour ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 tblsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cinnamon Vanilla custard, to serve FILLING 770g Pie Fruit Apples Sliced, drained 2 tblsp golden syrup CRUMBLE ½ cup plain flour ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar 75g butter, melted 1 cup natural almonds (150g), chopped 1 Grease a 22cm round springform pan (base measures 21cm). Line base with baking paper. 2 Process butter and cream cheese in a food processor until creamy. Add flour, sugar and spices. Process until mixture just comes together to form a dough. 3 Transfer to a clean bench. Gently knead into a smooth ball. Using clean hands,…

GOOD NEWS! Caring for a loved one is one of the toughest jobs there is. I know – I was a carer for my mum for years. The government’s Carer Payment can relieve some of the financial pressure, but many people still have to work to make ends meet. Previously, carers were limited to 25 hours of work a week before the Carer Payment was affected. But caring for someone with a medical or mental illness requires a flexibility that these rigid rules didn’t allow for. Now the rules have changed to allow carers to work 100 hours over a four-week period. This means that if, for example, you need to drop a shift one week to attend a medical appointment or therapy session, you have the choice to try…

EDITORIAL Editorial Director Kate Kirsten, Editor Sarah Firth, Deputy Editor Beth Young, Art Director Darren Monaghan, Picture Editor Holly Campbell ARE MEDIA Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley, Director of Sales Anna Quinn, Director of Content Sally Eagle, General Manager Entertainment Susan Armstrong, Commercial Brand Manager Jessica Ashworth, Director of Marketing Carly Bowra Subscription enquiries: Customer Service 136 116 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST) International +61 2 9692 3535 Email magshop@magshop.com.au Website www.magshop.com.au Advertising enquiries: advertising@aremedia.com.au Published by Are Media Pty Limited (ABN 18 053 273 546), 54-58 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. ©2025. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without prior written permission. that’s life! is a registered trade mark of Are Media. Use of trademark strictly prohibited. Licensing Inquiries: www.contentshop.com.au / syndication@aremedia.com.au…

Danna Diaz was planning her wedding when she got a shocking diagnosis Danna Diaz, 39, Currumbin, Qld Rolling out a rug on the soft green grass, I began unpacking our picnic basket. While I spread out our snacks, my partner Jon, then 40, was playing hide-and-seek with our children, Sonny, then three, and Frida, two. How did I get so lucky? I smiled. It was May 2021 and we were enjoying a family holiday on Hamilton Island, Qld. Jon and I had met online four years earlier and, from our first date, sparks had flown. Within three months, I’d fallen pregnant with Sonny, and we moved in together. Frida followed a year later. Even though we’d discussed getting married, the timing hadn’t been right. Now, as I lay out the…

PUMPKIN, RICOTTA AND SPINACH LASAGNE SERVES 6 PREP & COOK 1 HOUR 45 MINS 500g fresh ricotta 300ml carton pure cream 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 cup finely grated parmesan ½ x butternut pumpkin (900g), peeled 8 instant lasagne sheets ½ cup tomato pesto 100g baby spinach leaves 1 Lightly oil a rectangular ovenproof dish (16-cup capacity). 2 Combine ricotta, cream, garlic and half the parmesan in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. 3 Cut pumpkin crossways into ½cm-thick slices. 4 To assemble, spread ½ cup of ricotta mixture over base of prepared dish. Arrange half the lasagne sheets over base in a single layer. Top with half the pumpkin slices, pesto and spinach. Pour over half the remaining ricotta mixture. Repeat layering with remaining lasagne…

Chandler Halderson had the world at his feet. His parents Bart, 50, and Krista, 53, couldn’t be prouder of their two sons. Mitchell, 24, worked in tech and Chandler, 23, worked at an insurance firm, as well as studying IT at uni. He’d also landed a gig with a police scuba diving team. When he wasn’t busy working and studying, Chandler was spending time with his girlfriend, Catherine, who was known as Cat. Life couldn’t be better for Chandler. So when he was unable to pay rent to his parents when asked, Bart was confused. Chandler explained there’d been some confusion with his salary, and presented his father with correspondence from the HR department of his employers – a simple mix-up it seemed. Then in June 2021, Chandler was ecstatic…

If your energy levels dip as the day wears on, you’re not alone. There are several biological reasons for our energy levels to drop in the afternoon. Your circadian rhythm, or internal clock, dips between 1-3pm, causing you to feel sleepy. Other factors affecting your afternoon energy levels include what you ate for lunch, your hydration levels, how active you are throughout the day, and exposure to sunlight. There are ways you can combat the slump! If you find yourself nodding off in the arvo, try these ideas. AVOID HEAVY LUNCHES Instead, opt for lean proteins like chicken, eggs and tofu, and healthy fats like avocado and nuts. You can also fill up on whole grains, quinoa and vegies. And drink plenty of water throughout the day. MOVE AROUND Sitting…

SWAP ballet flats TRY chunky loafers Emily Blunt Before boots season is here, swap out your transeasonal ballet flats for something chunkier like a a heavy sole loafer to lift your look, whether it be with a pair of jeans or a full-length skirt – or try with a mini skirt or dress and add socks for a preppy after dark look. SWAP trench coats TRY short jackets Katie Holmes Trench coats have their place in a capsule wardrobe, but if you’re looking to refresh your outerwear this season, then try something a little shorter. It could be a cropped trench, a short blouson or a bomber jacket – just keep it above your hips. SWAP chocolate TRY burgundy Rachel Brosnahan A highly caffeinated colour palette has been the go-to…

If you could travel to another planet, which would you choose? Read each description and choose the one you like best. Then quiet your mind and picture yourself there – what can you see, hear and feel? This is a great meditation technique, even for beginners, because you need to engage both your imagination and senses. Have some fun on a trip that costs nothing but a few minutes, and can help you feel refreshed and grounded! Mars The ultimate desert retreat Craving a rugged, red-rock adventure? Mars is the place to enjoy breathtaking canyons and endless dunes. By day, see the landing sites of intrepid rovers and, by night, bask in the stars. This is a holiday for the athletic adventurer, so book in at the Olympus Mons Lodge,…