Weekend Recap

Our weekend is still happening as we are enjoying the Family Day holiday.  Although I had planned to stay at home, make mini-pizzas, watch a movie and stay cozy, we are headed out to renew E's passport.  We are headed to the US in a couple of weeks and I just noticed this weekend that his passport is expired (eek!).  I think we can do the expedited process and get it in a couple of days so thank goodness I figured this out now and not at the border.  Since the passport office is federal it is not subject to the provincial holiday (ahh, Federalism), I'm hoping no one will realize this and we won't have to wait long.

E had a Valentine's Party at school on Friday.  So he was dressed in head to toe red.

(He asked to move the bird seed so it would be in the picture.)

Love this guy!  (but when he wasn't looking I moved the bird seed)

When I got home from work on Friday evening Dave said "go get ready, we are going out". (And then I said, "I don't look ready? What's wrong with my casual Friday, no make-up look?  kidding, I did not say that.)  He had found some friends to look after E and he'd made reservations for us at Drake One Fifty.  We don't get out too often and although we like taking E out to eat, it is very nice to go out by ourselves.  We went to Nikai for drinks.  This is part of the momofuku restaurants at the Shangri-La Hotel.  Very nice, and I'd really like to head back to the noodle bar to eat sometime.  We are so fortunate to have good friends to watch E on occasion.

Hopped on the subway to head downtown.

Dave ordered the Black Cod.

 Chicken Parm was delicious! (We also had oysters, of course, and onion rings battered in potato chips, amazing!)

I set my alarm early for Saturday morning to prepare my own surprise.  E and I made Dave's grandmother's recipe for cinnamon buns.  They started out really well and looked amazing.

However, this did not seem to be the way to bake them.  They baked together and they were still raw in the middle even after 30 minutes (the recipe said 15-20).  Not sure what I did wrong (Aunt Isabel, any hints?), but I eventually separated them, moved them onto a baking sheet so they could cook individually, and then it worked. Despite all of this, they were very tasty and Dave appreciated the effort. 

Some Valentine's treats for Dave.

And for E.

After swimming lessons, we headed to the library for crafts.  

Cutting out a card.

Decorating the butterfly

Playing with play dough

Making a snowman

Making our own play dough to take home.

Making a bracelet.  It was a great little set up, and we were pleased to take advantage of what the library has to offer.

Then E got a much needed haircut, and I picked up a few groceries.  In the afternoon we took a walk to E's school that he'll be starting the fall.  

You know the school was built awhile ago when there are separate entrances for boys and girls incorporated directly into the brick work.

That evening we made two pizzas, one of them heart shaped.  After E went to bed Dave and I watched the NBA All-Star Skills Competition.  And some curling.  

Kale pesto, roasted red pepper, artichokes, and goat cheese.

The standards

Our heart shaped pizza, before it went into the oven.

Sunday was coooooold, our coldest day of the year so far.  I went to church by myself and then to the grocery store.  When I got to the grocery store the fire alarm was ringing but the store wasn't being evacuated so I just carried on.  It turned off after awhile and I found out later that a pipe had burst and water was running down the inside of the windows by an exit and into the street. The fire department was there, over their ankles in water, digging through the snow to make a trench to the drain.  God bless those people who work outside on days like that!

Of course I needed to pump gas on the coldest day of the year. 

To combat the cold, we made Mexican food and I picked up some Coronas while I was out.  It's amazing how a taste of that beer can take me right back to a patio in Halifax in the summer. 

Stay warm!!