Friday, May 31, 2019

Friday Favourites


Of course our favourite thing this week is our Raptors going to the NBA Finals!  One of the bonuses of working downtown is that I get to be part of the excitement when things are going on.  Yesterday I walked over to Jurassic Park, bought a T-shirt, and saw SuperFan. I love seeing everyone out wearing their Raptors clothes! Everyone seems to be in a better mood. 

The boys were decked out in their red shirts.  E's isn't actually a Raptor shirt, but it's red and says "Legend on the Court" so it works. 



We borrowed the batting net and tee from E's t-ball coach and did some more practice in the yard this week.

I picked up some lunch at Assembly Chef's Hall this week.  I had vaguely heard of it but didn't really know where it was, so when I saw it when I was in the PATH, I thought I would check it out.  I had a really good bowl of noodles and I will be keen to go back and try out some other places. 


Although the Game of Thrones finale had mixed reviews in this house, we both loved the GoT - The Last Watch, the Documentary that showed on HBO last week.  I have always loved behind the scenes stuff and I could have watched a whole series on this, not just 2 hours.  On Kit Harrington's last day on set (Jon Snow), one of the crew said "your watch has ended" and you could just see that he was crushed by that, the show was so important and you can feel the emotion he felt in that moment.  I hear he's checked into a wellness retreat (rehab?) so I guess he's having a hard time, so I've been thinking about him!  Another takeaway form the show is that Emilia Clarke (Dany) seems like a doll, in appearance and in personality, and Tyrion twirling in his leather coat. 

I shared some of my favourite summer drinks yesterday.  Can't wait to get some of these. 

Check out our amazing weekend trip to the Drake Devonshire that I posted on Tuesday.  Such a lovely spot, would love to go back in the fall. 

Linking up with AndreaErika, and Narci.


Thursday, May 30, 2019

Summer Drinks

I always like to do a round up of some patio selections for you.  Here are some of things I enjoy:


I was never a huge cider fan, and I'm still not, but I do enjoy one every now and again.  If you're in Toronto and get a chance to go to the Brickworks Ciderhouse at Broadview and Queen, check it out. I went last year and really enjoyed sampling their various ciders, and the food was good too!





The coolers I prefer are the ones that are fairly light on the sugar, and of course I lean towards gin based ones too.  The Social Lite one, although made with vodka, is very refreshing, and light tasting (be careful!!), my favourite is the lime ginger one


Rosé - Veille Ferme


I've mentioned this one before but you can't go wrong with Veille Ferme in any shade, but of course the rosé is required for summer.

Beer - Sours
With all of the craft breweries popping up, I can't really pick one or two beers to share, since they will be different everywhere, but what I've been enjoying are the sour brews for summer.  I can't drink a lot of them, but one is very refreshing.

Wine Glass - Corksicle


This insulated glass is great for the patio, it has a lid so you don't have to worry about any bugs getting in, or if it gets knocked over by a kid or wayward frisbee, it won't spill, or break, and it has a rubber bottom so it doesn't slide around.  Plus it keeps your wine cool, which is good for outside, or inside if your house is like ours in the summer.  They come in many great colours and designs. 

Happy Patio Drinking!


Wednesday, May 29, 2019

What's Up Wednesday


What we're eating this week...
Sunday - chicken skewers, potatoes, and salad
Monday - lasagna
Tuesday - leftover lasagna
Wednesday - Salmon
Thursday - Turkey Burgers
Friday - Grilled Chicken
Saturday - Out

What I'm reminiscing about...
Our lovely weekend away last weekend, you can read about that here.  Aside from the fact that Dave and I just went to Europe by ourselves in January, we don't often get away by ourselves, and it was so nice to not have to worry about how to entertain our children.  I mean, I still felt I needed to point out farm animals on the side of the road, or note where the playgrounds were located, but mostly we could just relax about that sort of thing.  

What I'm loving...
I love Drake on the sidelines of the Raptor games. Some people think he is a little over the top and that he shouldn't be heckling the other team, but I do not care.

What we've been up to...
All of the sports - E has t-ball at least twice a week and now soccer twice a week.  Poor Q doesn't have his own sport yet, but he doesn't mind hanging on the sidelines.  Trying to stay organized is challenging and I am always grateful I only have one kid in sports (so far), I can't imagine 3 or 4!!

What I'm dreading...
Nothing worth mentioning

What I'm working on...
Nothing specific - all of the things that we are always working on, but with summer sports thrown in!

What I'm excited about...
I am always excited when the weather turns nice and we can spend evenings outside.  We are cooped up for too long in the winter time and I love getting some fresh air.  

What I'm watching/reading...
We are watching the NBA Finals, Motherf*ckers!!! I know, I know, calm down, but it's kind of a big deal for us long suffering Raptor fans.  We are here for it!


I posted about the books I read in May here.
Next up is Transcription and The Home for Unwanted Girls.  

What I'm listening to...
Taking a break from reading last week and this week to catch up on my Armchair Expert podcasts. I don't listen to everything, just the people I know, just finished up Hasan Minhaj (former Daily Show writer, now has own Netflix show), and next up is Samin Nosrat (chef and writer of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, also on Netflix)

What I'm (not) wearing...
I had to take my wedding rings off this week.  Does this ever happen to you?  The skin on my finger was getting all flaky, so I took my rings off and cleaned them, and then will let my finger get back to normal before putting them back on. 

What I'm doing this weekend...
E has two t-ball games and his last swimming lesson.  We will also do some stuff around the yard, BBQ, take the duvet covers off, and maybe get Q's haircut.

What I'm looking forward to next month...
My birthday, a work trip, Father's Day, the last day of school, and camping

What else is new...
Q's new thing is asking for "two minutes" when we say it is time to go to bed, or turn the TV off, or go somewhere in the car.  It's kind of cute, but he doesn't actually know what two minutes is so he just keeps asking for more.

Linking up with Shay and Sheaffer.



Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Weekend Recap

Dave and I had a wonderful weekend getaway in Prince Edward County this past weekend.  We both took the day off on Friday and after the kids went to school, we headed out of the city.  We like to golf but don't get to golf together very often.  Dave booked us a tee time at Timber Ridge in Brighton for just after 11:00.  We arrived early and the starter let us out ahead of two groups that were golfing together.  That was great because it meant we didn't have anyone in front of us and we weren't holding anyone up.  My favourite way to golf!


We both had some good shots and it was such a beautiful day!



Plus chips and beer :)

After our round we drove into Wellington and checked into the The Drake Devonshire.  This place was everything I imagined it would be.  If you have a chance to go, you should.  See some more pictures of the hotel itself at the bottom of this post.


We watched some TV and I had a small nap, then we explored the hotel and played some ping pong before our dinner reservation. 




We have a cozy table in the corner and toasted our 10th anniversary.

Then we moved over to the Pavilion next to the dining room where we enjoyed some live music.

This guy was great, he was taking requests and when a group of girls on a bachelorette party came in, his next song was I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys, much to the joy of the girls!

The next morning we slept in until 7:45(!) and when we realized it wasn't raining yet we quickly got up so we could go for a run together.  Then we had a very leisurely brunch where we enjoyed the food, of course, but also the Globe and Mail. Luxury!

The rain started while we were eating brunch, but that was fine.  Our only plans for the day were to go to a couple of breweries.  Prince Edward County is wine country but we realized that wasn't really our scene and opted for ParsonsPrince Eddy's, and 555 Beer.  The first two are in Picton and the third one was in Bloomfield. 

First stop was Parsons where we each got a flight of beer and some guac and chips.



Then over to Prince Eddy's. 


They serve flights on skateboards.  And we played a game of Scrabble. 


Last stop was 555.

We ordered some "East Coast Garlic Fingers" and more flights.  The garlic fingers were fine but not as good as the real East Coast ones, and the donair sauce was a little too thick. 

Back to our hotel where we enjoyed some Happy Hour treats on the deck and played some cards.

We went back to our room to get ready for dinner and then the rain started.  It was so great to be staying at the same place where we were eating. 

Cheers!

Then we moved over to the Pavilion where they had a big screen showing the Raptor game.  We got a seat and then we shared our table with a young couple from Toronto, also big Raptor fans.  It was a really fun atmosphere.  They also treated us to a round of champagne after they found out we were celebrating our anniversary. 

At half time, I went back to our room to get the shirt that Dave got at Game 7 of the Philly series, and put it on over my dress.  It helped, I'm sure.

So excited the Raptors won!! It was a late night but worth it!

We checked out of our hotel the next morning and had some breakfast before hitting the road.  We took a detour up to Belleville and then got onto the 401.  We stopped at the Big Apple to get a pie, some bread, and a quick bite to eat. 

When we got home, the boys were still at E's t-ball game with Dave's parents, so after we unpacked the car, we just hung out in the backyard. 

Happy to be back with this guy (and Q)!  So grateful Dave's parents were able to come and look after the kids!!

Here are some photos of the hotel.  It's just lovely.






Our room

Complete with personal doll.