Friday Favourites

Happy Friday! We get a long weekend :)

Q made this pumpkin pie at the YMCA this week.  E said that pumpkin pie doesn't usually have a top, but I said the lattice work was just fine ;)

It was wine exchange day at my office earlier this week and my colleagues exceeded the budget, lucky me!  We will try these out on the weekend. 

I had dinner at The Carbon Bar this week.  I didn't realize it was the place where they used to record The Electric Circus on Much Music (Canadian '90s kids, you know what I mean!).  It's a cool spot and the food is delicious.

This once little guy had to go to the changing room at swimming lessons all by himself this week and get ready on his own. The last time we had swimming lessons at this location, he had lessons at the same time as E and they could go through together.  There isn't really a family/unisex washroom here so I sent him in alone and he did just fine. I could tell he was proud of himself.  There is a kid from school that he knows so I said if he needed anything to ask that kid's dad/grandpa.

Big independent kid!

I made overnight oats on Wednesday night to enjoy on Thursday.  I never really liked overnight oats but then I realized that I could warm them up, so I did and liked it much better.  This was a recipe from the Oh She Glows Everyday cookbook.

Don't forget to link up with us on Monday for Sharing Our Lives.  We are going to talk about our sweet tooth cravings.

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

 

Thankful

Reflecting on all of the blessings in our lives as we celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend.

There have always been those desperate parts of the world where it seemed almost impossible to imagine those misfortunes befalling us.  But the combination of global/social media, actual recent events, and growing up makes it obvious that catastrophe and tragedy can hit anyone at anytime.  However if you live in that dark headspace, it can drive you crazy, so as much as I can I really take time to appreciate that many blessings that I enjoy - health, love, safety, fortune, opportunity, and privilege.  

I’ll be back tomorrow for some Friday Favourites, but wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving weekend. 

Let's Look - How we prepare for the holiday season

 

At our house, we celebrate Thanksgiving (in Canada it's in October), Halloween, and then Christmas.  Although the first two are important, they are really just one day events, so I don't consider the "holiday season" to start until late November, when we really start diving into Christmas. 

If you've been reading for awhile, then you know my preferred method of making plans is by Google Doc, it's how I plan meals, trips, and birthday parties.  Since Christmas is relatively the same each year, I can reuse my Google Doc.  

The first thing that gets planned is the party we host each year, we invite neighbours, friends, and family, and I send out the invites right after Halloween.  The format is roughly the same each year, so there isn't a lot of party specific preparations until the week before.

The next thing to plan is Christmas cards. We usually just take a photo ourselves and then I design the card on Shutterfly.  This has to be done at the beginning of November to make sure they are returned in time for me to send out. 

Our outdoor decorations usually get put up near the end of November. We always get a real tree so it can't go up for too long but it definitely needs to be up before our party. 

After decorating, it is baking time.  I usually do a lot of the baking for the party myself, with our moms making contributions as well.  

Gifts are purchased throughout November and into December, and I usually have to mail a few out, so I need to plan the time for that.  And then my goal is to get everything wrapped before Christmas Eve.

Other than a few set events, like Santa Brunch at the golf club, and the church nativity play, we just take things as they come - fitting in Christmas movies, more baking, and puzzle time in when we can. 

I also should say I always spend a bit of time reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas.  As Advent gets underway I will examine how I am feeling about the holidays that year - sometimes I am really excited, sometimes I am sad (remember 2020!), too rushed (last year when we were finishing up our renovation), and sometimes I'm just meh.  I remind myself that no matter what I am feeling, Christmas will come even if all of the things aren't done.  As much as we plan all of the parties, events, traditions, meals, etc. the real meaning of Christmas is much simpler than that. 

Linking up with Shay and Erika.

Weekend Recap

We started our weekend by welcoming Dave's parents and aunt, here to stay for a couple of days.  I made lemon chicken and served that with rice, Greek salad, pitas, hummus, and tzatziki.  It was a good meal for a group.  We watched the new Brad Pitt and George Clooney movie, Wolfs, that night.

We had no plans for Saturday so after sleeping in for a little bit, we went for a walk up the street to do a few errands. I started out with a sweatshirt but realized quickly I did not need. 

Then we went for a walk to see the salmon jumping by the Humber River.  

I did a workout and then poured myself a late season Aperol Spritz while we settled in to watch the Toronto FC v. Miami soccer game.  Messi was in town which was a pretty big deal.  

Q put on his Messi jersey (and then watched about five minutes of the game, eyeroll!)

We played some cards before dinner, which was fish cakes, made by Dave's mom.  

We all went to church on Sunday (or almost all of us, Dave had an early tee time).  While I made supper, I joined in on a family Monopoly game. 

Here is the lovely lasagna I made, it was a Jamie Oliver recipe and it turned out really well.  I also made garlic bread and caesar salad.  One of my favourite meals, particularly for a group.

After that we started in on the Halloween movies, first up The Haunted Mansion.  We went on the ride at Disney last year.  We recognized a familiar face in the movie...

Recent Amazon Buys

I haven’t been someone who typically buys things at Amazon. I never really trust that the product will be what I want it to be, and I pick up most things locally.  Recently I have tried out a few things and they have worked out for me, so perhaps I am becoming an Amazon convert, even if I am late to the party.  (Similarly I ate at Costco for the first time this summer, did you know how cheap it is there?!! Haha, I know you do, I was the only one who didn’t know.)

Anyway, here are a few things I have purchased lately:

Apple Watch Bands

These are a bit more expensive than the ones you can get on the US Amazon, but I think they are still worth it.  I like changing up the different colours to match my outfits. 

Messi Kit (Argentina)

I got this for Q’s birthday and was impressed with the quality, I think I will get him the Miami kit for Christmas.  I have heard these should not go in the dryer, or the numbers will peel, so head’s up, and hang to dry.

Wall Calendar

This little calendar is perfect for our family.  We have mounted it at the top of the basement stairs right by the kitchen so it is easy to see everyday and the kids will know what the plans are for the day.  I also write the menu for the week on it since we got rid of our chalkboard wall during our reno.

Hair Elastics

I like the phone cord style hair elastics and the pack I had been using was diminishing (lost, broken, looking faded) so I tried out this package.  Now I have more hair elastics than I know what to do with, but they are a good quality. 

Collagen Powder

This is always a little cheaper from Amazon than it is at the grocery store.

Friday Favourites

 

Happy Friday!

We made a decision to work out and eat well in the month of September, and although the eating well was touch and go, I did work out everyday this month.  I'm motivated by getting badges on Peloton so I got my 30 day badge, and will try to go for the 45 day and 60 day badges.  

The kids had cross country this week.  I had to miss it because of a meeting but Dave got some good pictures.  The kids ran their hearts out and it was a nice fall day.

I had to go to Scotiabank's main Toronto branch this week to pick up something for work, and I was struck by this beautiful piece of art.  It's huge and depicts a waterfall.  The photo does not do it justice.

I co-hosted a party for the Grade 8 parents last night.  We used to do these parents parties back when E was little, but then of course COVID put an end to that.  We had pretty good turnout and it was nice to meet some of the parents of the kids that joined our school in Grade 7.  We put out a few snacks and everyone brought their own drinks.  It was nice to have the doors open and enjoy the patio too as it was still quite mild.

I watched the Vice President debate and really the only thing I took from it was Vance looking at the camera like Jim from The Office. 

Linking up with Andrea and Erika

Fall Favourites

Things I love about fall:

Leaves Changing - I love a brightly colored tree, I can’t get enough.  I always make a point to go for walks in the park and by the river to see them.

Weather - I love summer, but by the time fall rolls around, I am happy for some cooler temperatures. 

Sweatshirts - I got a couple of new sweatshirts for my birthday and then hardly got to wear them all summer.  So I’m happy to dig them out now. 

Baking - Muffins, cookies, pie, and cake, we seem to have more opportunity for baked goods in the fall. 

Thanksgiving Long Weekend - It’s the perfect reset after a busy September and before ramping up for the Christmas season. (Reminder to the Americans, Canadian Thanksgiving is in October.)

Fall Music - I like to listen to more acoustic moodier songs in the fall like These ones.

Red wine - The cooler weather calls for a glass of red.

Travel - We typically have a trip planned for the fall, and this year we have New York City to look forward to. 

Sports - This is the special time of year when everything has hope that the Maple Leafs and Raptors are going to have good seasons.  And football is always a good thing to have on the TV.