Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Weekend Recap

This weekend was sort of "blah"; even though it was filled with fun things, the rain that filled both days was kind of a drag.  My mom was still in town so after work on Friday, we all walked up the street to eat supper at The Good Fork.  We had never been there for supper, only brunch, and were pleasantly surprised by their menu, and their small secluded patio on the upper level.  One of my favourite things is eating outside so I was glad there were spots available out there.




This is the child's size chicken pot pie!  He didn't eat it all, but he did have room for all of his sweet potato fries.

My burger and salad, delicious!


On Saturday morning, before the rain started, we went up to the Junction Farmer's Market. We picked up some kale, cherries, eggs, and cheese pretzels.  So happy the fresh Ontario produce is here!
Shirt backwards, "Just Another Day of Being Awesome"




Quick trip to E's favourite store, Home Depot, for some dirt and grass seed.

We also went to the library to get some new books, and to get a coffee at Red Bean Espresso.

E and my Mom

E's new smiling face

In the afternoon Mom, E and I drive to Brampton to visit some cousins.  These cousins are from my grandfather's side and we don't see them very often.  It was great to have a visit, especially with those from the US, and the babies.  

After we got home, Dave and I went to our friends' house for a BBQ and to watch the Canada vs. England Women's World Cup game.  

Strong supporters, even with the disappointing loss.

On Sunday morning we got ready for the Blue Jays game. I had actually thought we had tickets to the Saturday game, but when I checked them on Saturday morning, I realized they were for Sunday.  It's so great to have a domed stadium so the rain doesn't matter.  WE had great seats in the 100 level in left field behind the Jays' bullpen.  A lot of action in the bullpen that day, but they did come up with a win. 

Just one piece at a time #GetItInYa

There's that face again!

Dave's footlong...hot dog

Mom's group selfie

These were our free hats

Heading home on the TTC

We get a bonus day off this week for Canada Day which also makes two short work "weeks". Yay!  Let's hope for some sunshine

Monday, June 29, 2015

Happy Pride!

It was Pride Week this past week in Toronto (and elsewhere I believe).  Fittingly, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its ruling on Friday to declare gay marriage legal in all 50 of the United States.  This was a landmark decision by the Court, and echoed our own Supreme Court of Canada's ruling 10 years ago.

Despite this progress, there are still people who find it necessary to mind other people's business.  The disappointing tweets I saw over the weekend (none from my friends, of course) show the ignorance and insensitivity that is still out there.  I am not naive enough to think that there will never be hate in the world, but it sometimes seems more prominent because of Twitter, etc.   Fortunately what I always say holds true here too - even for all of the bad people in the world, there will always be more good people.  Or to say it another way, the love in the world will always overcome the hate.

I am happy the US Supreme Court handed down that decision, but really it has no effect on my own life, other than to create a more inclusive society to live in and for my son to grow up in.  For all the haters out there, maybe they should also realize that it has nothing to do with them either.  If you don't want to marry a gay person, no one is forcing you to, so get over it, and mind your own business.  Since Christian "values" are often the number argument against gay marriage, then maybe we should remember one of the most important ones (it's actually #2): "Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself" (Mark 12:31).

End rant.

Happy Pride!


From Niagara Falls a couple of years ago.



Friday, June 26, 2015

Friday Favourites

Linking up with AndreaErika, and Narci for Friday Favourites again this week.


1. Everyone is sharing their photos of their children's graduations so that takes me back to my own grad, which was 16 years ago!!! I loved high school so prom and grad were a lot of fun.  
A mini Flashback Friday.

Friends since we were four years old

My prom date was one of the best dressed, hands down - cape, top hat, and cane.  

2. On that note, here are the top songs from this week in 1999.  A few favourites here for sure:
1. Wild Wild West - Will Smith
2. Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
3. If you had my Love - Jennifer Lopez (or was it J Lo by this point?)
4. Summer Girls - LFO (I actually watched this video on YouTube the other day, worth it)
5. All Star - Smash Mouth
6. Sometimes - Britney Spears (Brit Brit!!)
7. I want it that way - Backstreet Boys
8. It's not Right by it's Okay - Whitney Houston
9. Where my Girls At? - 702 (Yes!)
10. Beautiful Stranger - Madonna (Austin Powers, baby yah!)

3. We had some snacks at work this week and one of them was my favourite snack - the Chicago Mix popcorn.  Half caramel, half cheese.  I don't know who invented this, but it is probably one of the greatest things ever made.  Love it!


4. Ballers is my new favourite show.  The Rock, Miami, NFL - that's enough for me.  Check it out!


5. I made one of my favourite meals this week and shared the recipe for making fast, easy and tasty homemade pizza on Thursday.


Happy Friday and Happy Weekend!






Thursday, June 25, 2015

Recipe - Fast Pizza

I love pizza as much (or more than ) the next person and if you told me I had to eat it every night, I would be totally fine with that.  However, delivery pizza can be expensive, frozen pizza is just full of preservatives and other fake things, and sometimes homemade pizza just takes too long. I have found a quick and easy way to make your own pizza from scratch, and it doesn't require yeast and rising time. It took me less than 45 minutes from getting home to sitting down at the table. Here is the recipe:

Fast Pizza (for one small crust, I doubled it for us)

1 1/2 cups of flour (white is easiest to work with but whole wheat would be healthier)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil (or just eyeball it, no need to really measure)

Combine dry ingredients.  Pour in warm water and olive oil and stir together.  You don't want it to be too soft but you do need it to be wet enough to combine and make the dough. Don't overthink it, just knead it into a ball, add a splash more water if you need it (especially if you're using whole wheat flour), and then turn it out onto a board.  Stretch it apart with your hands and finish rolling it out with a rolling pin so it makes a rough circle.  It should be about 12 inches in diameter and it doesn't have to be perfect.

Top with your pizza toppings and cook in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  You'll know it is done because the cheese will be bubbling and the crust will have a bit of a golden colour.  You can't really overcook it if you're keeping an eye on it, but you can undercook it and it will be soggy and weak in the middle if you do.

I also made our sauce from scratch:

Pizza Sauce (enough for two pizzas)

14 oz canned diced tomatoes (slightly drained)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
handful of fresh basil leaves
salt

Blend all ingredients together.  Done!



We used what we had in the fridge for our toppings - turkey pepperoni, green pepper, mozzarella, fresh parmesan - and then I sprinkled it with chopped fresh basil and chives after it came out of the oven.  I usually put the pepperoni under the cheese, but this time I mixed it up and put the cheese on first. #crazy


Before

After

If you really wanted to, you could throw together a simple salad and make this meal even more complete.  We love arugula with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Simple, quick, and healthy.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

What's Up Wednesday

Linking up with Shay and Sheaffer for What's up Wednesdays.  Not sure where the month of June went, but here we go:


What we're eating this week...
Once again we do not have a menu planned for this week.  We were away on the weekend and I haven't had time to get our groceries. We will probably just find some fresh produce and something for the BBQ, and call it a day.
What I'm reminiscing about...
Today I was telling the story about the time E choked on a rock.  We were in PEI and he decided to sample a handful of red mud.  I didn't (really) panic and just pounded him on the back until he coughed it up, and the practically choked him again with water as I tried to wash out his mouth.  We had a few sandy diapers for the next couple of days.  

What I'm loving...
The thunderstorms we have had lately.  I love the hot weather, even the humidity, and then the crack of thunder and the downpour of rain. I do not, of course, like the tornado warnings that accompany these storms in the surrounding area.  We don't really get tornado warnings in the city of Toronto, but it is still scary for everyone else. 


What we've been up to...
We had a great weekend camping.  And the weekend before that we spent in Prince Edward Island.  In between that we have been scrambling to stay organized with laundry, food, a clean house, and work.  I love being busy but I am looking forward to a more relaxing weekend at home.

Throwback to last weekend in PEI

What I'm dreading...
Fixing this hole in the ceiling.  We came downstairs to this one morning couple of weeks ago.  We think that the plaster gave out because of an old leaky roof, that was fixed by the previous homeowners. There was a brown water stain and some cracks.  I'm sure the increased activity in the house, including a three year old who only knows how to stomp, along with the jackhammer down the street, all contributed to this.  It is safe for now, but it will mean either patching the plaster, or taking down the whole ceiling (and the walls), and rebuilding this room.  Dave can do the work himself but it is still work.  




What I'm working on...
I have a big file on the go right now, so I'm trying to coordinate conference calls with accountants, our client, and lawyers for the other parties.  I like the work that comes along with this file but it sometimes makes my brain hurt.

What I'm excited about...
Going to Blue Jays game this Saturday!  This was our Father's Day gift for Dave.  We are sitting in the outfield, near the Jays' bullpen.

Jays Fan!

What I'm watching/reading...
We are watching the new season of True Detective, The Bachelorette, The Wire, and Veep. We also want to start the 3rd season of Homeland that is now on Netflix.  

I am still reading the third instalment of Ken Follett's trilogy - Edge of Eternity.  I got it for Christmas but I only get to read it when I'm not reading our book club books.  I love Ken's writing and also learning some history along the way.




What I'm listening to...
The whirl of fans and air conditioning.  No one likes to be the slightest big warm in this humid weather.  I like to be cool for sleeping, but I'd still rather be hot than cold any day.  Our winters are long, I'm embracing the heat.

What I'm wearing...
Sandals, as much as possible.  I love flip flops, and my Birkenstocks.  We had a dress code at work (drafted by yours truly) so I need to be fairly conservative at work, but I can get away with some sandals depending on the outfit.



What I'm doing this weekend...
Relaxing!  I'd like to hit up the farmer's market on Saturday morning before the Jays game.  We might visit with some family on Sunday before my mom heads home. 

What I'm looking forward to next month...
Canada Day, visit with Dave's parents, staying at a friend's cottage, eating on patios, and hitting up some outdoor pools.

Same cottage from three years ago

What else is new...  
We brought E's table and chair upstairs this week.  We are helping him with his letters in preparation for school in September.  He can spell his name but he needs some practice with printing.  I am not a teacher and I do not have a lot of patience, so I am learning too!


What are you doing for the 4th of July Canada Day?
Canada Day (July 1st) falls on a Wednesday this year, which is the worst time because it means no long weekend.  We haven't made any specific plans but it will involve wearing red, spending time outside, listening to Wheat Kings by the Tragically Hip, and drinking beer!

Canada Day 2014

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Weekend Recap

Camping is funny, isn't it?  We pack up so much stuff, drive for several hours, and then sleep on the ground and cook on a tiny stove.  But we do it anyway, and we love it.  Food cooked on an open flame tastes amazing and being outside away from the usual distractions of our normal life.

This past weekend, we packed up our car and headed for Sandbanks Provincial Park.

First stop, Tim Horton's of course!


This is a great park and we really lucked out with our campsite this year.  It was quite big, very private, near the toilets and water tap, and had lots of things to keep the kids busy.  We met up with some friends.  They have a son the same age as E and they played together very well for the entire weekend.

Setting up the tent





Already dirty and we just got here!  Even though we brought some toys, the favourite toy of the weekend was a piece of rope tied to a stick.n

After setting up our site, we made some supper and then walked over to the beach.  It was a beautiful evening.



Enjoying some marshmallows before bed.  

In the morning we headed to the beach again.  I did not sleep well the night before (maybe something to do with our air mattress having a hole in it, and the multiple raccoons that passed by our tent, and the partiers at the next campsite), so I just relaxed on the beach while the kids (and dads) played on the beach.







We were all pretty tired so we knew the boys would probably be satisfied with some roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for supper, and then we would eat our meal after that.  It was a good call.

Spider dogs!



Although it rained overnight, it stopped by morning, and since we had set up a tarp over our picnic table the night before, we were all set when we woke up.  After a classic breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast sitting by a fire, we packed up and went home.  


We had a great weekend with our friends, and E had the time of his life.  Can't wait to do it again sometime.