Friday Favourites

Happy Friday, we are rolling through November over here! I have recently been skipping Friday Favourites if I haven’t felt like much to report on. Not much this week but wanted to recognize Remembrance Day.

This year I was working downtown on Wednesday so I walked over to Old City Hall for the ceremony there. My colleague was supposed to come over with me but he couldn’t get away but I was happy to go by myself.  And yet, I wasn’t alone, there was a good crowd of people there and more gathered as we got closer to 11:00. As I stood there I remembered all of the various places I have commemorated this day - in my hometown, Shelburne, NS, where I participated in the parade as a Brownie and Guide, and then later standing with my mom at the cenotaph, in Halifax with my grandparents, and one time with Dave, E, and baby Q, from my desk when I would tune into the CBC coverage of the Ottawa ceremony but without the day off (in Ontario, it’s not a stat holiday), and one time when we were in New York City, we were down at Battery Park and I put my poppy on the memorial there. 

The ceremonies are always the same, which I always find comforting. I like to sing O Canada and God Save the King with everyone, and share in the moment of silence. The ceremony I went to had a band and choir to lead us, sentries dressed in uniforms from various wars, and a fly past. We had a prayer from a military chaplain and I appreciated that he acknowledged that not everyone prays but that he hoped everyone could find some comfort in his words. Our mayor spoke and specifically mentioned the recent tragedy in Wainwright Alberta. 

Anyway, it was nice and I hope you had some time to reflect yourself. 

On a lighter note, Q had lost his bike lock on his way to school when his bike broke and he had to abandon his bike at his friend’s house and hustle onto school. I had the idea to go back to where the bike broke and see if the lock was still there. And it was!! It was hanging up on the railing nearby, happy a nice person put it up there for us to find. And luckily Dave was able to get the bike fixed quickly.

A few other highlights from the week - I helped E study for his biology test (diagram of a cell anyone?!), watched You’ve Got Mail, and had my Instagram flooded with travel posts of Edinburgh and London, with my trip coming up soon :)

Weekend Recap

I went out for dinner on Friday night with my friends, the ones I am going to the UK with at the end of the month. It was good to make a few more plans about our trip. We went to the Fairmont Royal York for drinks first (and I enjoyed the most perfect martini), and then to The Frederick. I forgot to get a photo of the three of us.

Dave got his last round of golf for the year in on Saturday morning.  We did a few bags of leaves.

It was Remembrance Sunday at church. We sang In Flanders Fields, the same version that I remember singing in elementary school.  The church had crosses out on the lawn.

Home to do some more bags of leaves. 

And then Q and I went around with the invitations to our annual Christmas party. We always invite all of the neighbours

I also organized both of the boys’ dressers and got rid of some old clothes, moved out shorts for pants, and saw what they may need for clothes (answer is not much, so that’s good!). 

Friday Favourites

It’s Friday again, and not to repeat myself but we had another great week of fall weather. 

I moved to a new office (within the same suite) and this is my new view. It is nice getting settled into my permanent space. Another happy part of my week is that we had a new colleague starting who just happens to be my “work sibling” from my last company! It is so nice to be working together again :)

It was “Soup Week” at our house this week. It started with French Onion Soup on Sunday and then tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches on Monday, so I decided to continue the theme with broccoli cheese soup, and finally we went out for ramen on Wednesday. So yes, soup four nights in a row, but all different types. Perfect for a fall week,

E had his Grade 10 Civics exam so I was helping him study - it included some of my favourite topics like the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and division of powers #nerd. He said he thinks he did alright. 

We were paying attention to the US Election Night this week, we are hoping that some of the changes will bode well for Canada’s relationship with our neighbours to the South. But really I was just reminiscing about our trip to New York City two years ago, I remember we flew out on the morning of Election Day that year. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Linking up with Andrea.

Gratitude Journal Prompts

28. Write about a second opportunity that you are grateful for.

The opportunity to have two children and be a mother for a second time. I always knew I wanted two kids but it took a little longer than expected for Q to arrive, the boys are five years apart. 

29. Write three good things about your neighbourhood that you are grateful for.

The people (so lucky to have some lovely neighbours), the proximity to both the river and its natural beauty and to many shops and services, and how pretty it is (lots of big trees, people that care for their homes and yards, and brick historic houses).

30. Write about one lesson you learnt from life that you are grateful for.

A love of reading will be invaluable. 

31. Write about a happy memory that you are grateful for.

I am fortunate to have so many special memories, but one that is springing to mind right now is my grandmother who always came to the door of their condo to wait for us to come off the elevator and down the hall. You knew she would be there when you came around the corner. I am grateful for the time I got to spend with both her and my grandfather.

These are the last few questions from the gratitude journal prompt list. You can see the other questions I answered throughout the year Here.

Weekend Recap

We had a fun weekend celebrating Halloween. It’s so rare for it to be on a Saturday so it was a nice treat. I usually make this meal of baked chicken tacos for Halloween night but I knew we would be too rushed (even with it being a Saturday) so I made it on Thursday instead. It was very good.

Q was ready in his costume for school on Friday. He rode his bike in the costume which would have been a sight to see coming down the road. He also took down the face mask/hood part for the bike and for school (no masks).

On Friday night Q was at baseball and Dave and E were golfing so I made “girl dinner” for myself.

And then I went across the street to have a drink with my neighbour.

Dave golfed on Saturday morning in the annual Pumpkin Scramble, which is where the tee boxes and pins are all in fun tricky places.

We watched Haunted Mansion and carved our pumpkins.

Haunted House by me, Pirate by E, and Bats and Ghosts by Q.

Then we went for a walk in the beautiful fall weather and got some lunch and a doughnut too! And picked up a few groceries.

Then I gave the bags of groceries to the boys so I could walk further to the hardware store and get some leaf bags.

I could not believe how nice it was out there.

Then it was time to get ready for Halloween.  I put on E’s blue hoodie for this “costume”/photo op. A Mean Girls reference, if you know.

Q was ready to go!

A couple of his friends joined him to start trick or treating in our neighbourhood and they made their way up to one friend’s house for a sleepover.

There they go!

We had 3D printed this fun guy.

E and a friend were watching movies in our basement and I had gotten them some chips, pop, and mozzarella sticks. Dave got home from golf and I handed out candy, we had 46 kids. 

Q and his friends did well!

We decided to have a fire on Sunday night.

French onion soup was also a nice way to welcome November. 

What a fun fall weekend!

Friday Favourites

Happy Friday and Happy Halloween!

I voted on Monday in our municipal election and I got my poppy :)

Q and I walked up to his piano recital on Tuesday. I read something this week that says we should try to get outside in the evenings even when it starts getting darker so I was glad we walked.

He played Take Me Out to the Ballgame and did very well!

A few Halloween themed meals this week - French toast (made with hamburger buns) with Halloween sprinkles, for Q’s lunch (E ate his for breakfast).

Some pumpkin sugar cookies, I can’t resist a seasonal cookie!

And our mummy dogs and brains. 

Tomorrow we have to get our pumpkins carved, and Dave is golfing in the Pumpkin Scramble.

Stay safe out there!

Linking up with Andrea.

What's Up Wednesday

 

What we’re eating this week…

Sunday - out for pizza

Monday - Shepherd’s Pie

Tuesday - Roasted Beets, Brussels, Sweet Potato, Chicken Meatballs and Orzo

Wednesday - Sausages

Thursday - Mummy Hot Dogs and Brains

Friday - Quesadillas

Saturday - Baked Chicken Tacos

What I’m reminiscing about…

I don’t know when we used to have so much time to watch movies, but I feel like we used to be able to get through lots of Halloween movies and this year we haven’t watched any. I guess it is a combination of being busy, the kids having homework, and watching other things. I may also be reminiscing the pandemic years when we really didn’t have anything to do but watch movies. 

What I’m loving…

Our fall weather has been lovely and the colours are pretty nice. I kind of take for granted how pretty it is here, I realize not everyone gets the colours that we do. 

What I’m dreading…

I am not ready for Christmas and although I don’t begrudge those who want to dive in, but I’m not ready to see the Christmas displays in store and hear the carols yet.

What we’ve been up to…

Celebrating birthdays - first Q in September and E last week. Each kid had a friend party, a family activity, dinner out, a homemade cupcakes/ice cream cake, and the right amount of presents.

What I’m working on…

Trying to figure out where to go on March Break. I am finagling for somewhere warm, since we have done skiing for the last few years.

What I’m excited about…

My office is getting reconfigured and I will finally have my own dedicated office (up to now I’ve just being using someone’s office who was never there). I will be able to “move in”, which really just means I can leave my shoes there! There will also be more people coming into the Toronto office on a regular basis to that will be nice too.

What I’m watching/reading…

We are watching Below on Netflix. I am watching Heated Rivalry on Crave. And we are watching all of the sports - Raptors, Maple Leafs (when it’s not on Sportsnet+!!), and the World Series. 

I just finished The Thoroughbreds, by Elin Hilderbrand (and her daughter), the follow up to The Academy. It was a good “fall” book even though it took place all through the school year.

What I’m listening to…

This week it’s Noah Wyle on Good Hang.

What I’m wearing…

Not yet, but I ordered a pair of the mesh Mary Jane flats. Just on Amazon so I’m not sure what the quality will be like but I liked the trend.

What I’m doing this weekend…

Halloween! Q has got some plans to trick or treat with friends. E isn’t sure what he’s going to do, but I will be giving out the candy. We might have a bonfire on Sunday night if the weather is nice.

What I’m looking forward to next month…

A little slower month in terms of special events (no birthdays, no holidays), but then I’ve got a trip planned to the UK at the end of the month so I am very much looking forward to that!

What else is new…

We had municipal elections earlier this week. I voted and then got my poppy so I was very civically minded that day!