Friday Favourites

 Happy Friday!! Thanks for coming over to see me today.

I made this really yummy noodle dish this week that I got from @easyanimalfree.  I follow her on Instagram and her website has a bunch of great vegan recipes.  I also used tofu for the first time and it turned out really well.  E was eating his dinner and he asked "how did you get the meat so soft?!" and I told him it was actually tofu, not meat, and he said "oh cool", and kept on eating.  E is not a picky eater anyway but I was glad he didn't recoil, as I would have done even a few short years ago.

On Tuesday we had pancakes of course, to celebrate Shrove Tuesday.  When I got home on Tuesday evening this was the scene, E breaking the eggs and mixing up the wet ingredients and Dave and Q doing the dry ingredients.  Great work everyone!

Dave used a stencil to add a spider on top of the pancakes with icing sugar.

Coming closer to the camera with a big "Cheese!"

We got some lovely snow on Thursday, winter can stay for now!

I walked up the Bay to check out some towels. We have had our towels since we got married, they were on our registry, and although they are fine, they are just okay.  I thought it may be alright to buy a few new ones.  I have a gift card from the Bay (had to order it using my Aeroplane points so all of my points wouldn't expire) so when that comes in, I will buy some new towels.  I think I narrowed it down to this "Perfect Towel".

I also saw these neat Japanese towels, has anyone tried these?  Apparently they are fast drying so may be good for the beach and travelling, or just for everyday if I liked it enough.

E wanted to try out a science experiment when he got home from school.   He patiently waited until after dinner and then we blew up the balloon with vinegar and baking powder.  He said the baking soda would have worked better but that we were almost out of it.

Have a good weekend everyone!  And Go Raptors :)

Linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci.

Winter and Lent

Two topics for the price of one today:

First I wanted to talk about winter and how I am not ready to let it go yet.  I mentioned that yesterday I was looking forward to the snow we had coming this week and I was not ready for spring yet.  I have always been someone that loved spring and summer best and dreaded the long winter months, so I surprised myself by feeling this way.  I always do try to love where I am at any given moment, whether that is a season of life or an actual season.  Winter isn't over yet so I am embracing it while it is here, and when the true spring shows up (not just one day of warm temperatures) then I will embrace that as well.

We haven't really had much of a winter really, and in Southern Ontario the season follows along with the calendar a bit more, unlike Nova Scotia where I grew up and it could be cold until April, and you'd still be shivering on a patio in May pretending it was spring.

Taking up skiing as a hobby has definitely fuelled a love of winter, and having kids that you can go sledding with (which we've only done once), or make a snowman (which we haven't done at all) also helps, but it is more than that too.  In the winter time, you're sort of allowed to take it slow and be a little lazy.  If it's dark and cold outside, then you can stay in and watch movies with cozy blankets, or if you've been outside shovelling all morning, you are permitted to nap in the afternoon.  Winter weather means you can maybe leave work early or make excuses to work from home (although more difficult for me now that I take the subway).  Summer has its own lazy days but winter means sticking close to home is acceptable.  When it's summer I always feel like we are out biking, attending one of E's games, playing at the playground, going for runs and hikes, or finding a pool.  And I love doing those things too, but right now I'm happy to just spend the day inside around the house and not feel bad about doing that.

So bring on these last few weeks of winter, and then when April comes, I'll be ready to say good-bye to the snow.

And I also wanted to talk about Lent.  Lent started yesterday and I have been out of touch with church since Christmas as we have been skiing on Sundays instead.  I enjoy going to church and I have missed it. I have not had a good idea of what I wanted to do for Lent this year. I usually try to come up with something and then never follow through.  I don't like giving up something entirely, I prefer adopting a good practice.  Two things I will try to do, even if I am not perfect, will be to go for a little walk each day just to move around and if possible go outside for some fresh air.  It is important to take a little time for myself and if I'm feeling particularly pious I can think about what Lent means during my walk and do a little praying.  And the other thing will be to read along with the 40 days of poems that my church will be posting on their website and Facebook page.

Yesterday's verse was from Ephesians 3:18-19 -

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

This is a great one to start since it is the love of Christ that is at the root of all things.

What's up Wednesday

What we're eating this week...

Sunday - turkey chili

Monday - Peanut Noodles with tofu and vegetables

Tuesday - Pancakes and turkey sausage

Wednesday - Spaghetti squash and chicken thighs

Thursday - Pasta in cream sauce

Friday - I'm going out, so the boys will fend for themselves

Saturday - Salad bowls

What I'm reminiscing about...

I registered Q for JK for this coming September so I am of course thinking about E when he was going to JK.  They are different kids but both pretty easy going about new things so I think Q will love JK just like E did.

What we've been up to...

I've been working on getting as much done as possible in the evenings so I can have easier mornings getting ready for work.  Part of the challenge is that I am trying to eat really well for the four weeks leading up to our trip (one week down) so that requires a lot more prep for my breakfast and lunch as I can't just grab a bagel or buy my lunch.  I feel like my mind never stops planning but it is nice to come down in the morning and only need to get Q's breakfast ready (he usually wants eggs). 

What I'm dreading...

I'm really getting worried about COVID-19.  I thought things were under control, but after talking to our friend who is an infectious disease doctor in Toronto, and also paying more attention to the news, I see things are getting worse.  I don't want to blow it out of proportion but I also want to be prepared.  

What I'm working on...

Our taxes.  We just got our T4s yesterday so we can do the calculations to add to our RRSPs before the deadline of March 1.  I am also slowly but surely planning our summer.  

What I'm excited about...

The snow we are supposed to get this week.  I will write more about this tomorrow, but I'm not ready to let winter go!

What I'm watching/reading...

We are watching The Morning Show and season 3 of Mrs. Maisel, and we have a few more shows on our list like Island of Bryan and The Pharmacist. There are so many things and we have all of the streaming services (except Crave) so it's hard to keep up!!

I wrote about my February books on Monday.  I have two books arriving at the library for me this week, both I've had on my reading list for years - Seinfeldia and Bread and Wine.

What I'm listening to...

I heard this song the other day, If the World Was Ending, and I really like it, and it breaks my heart at the same time.  This is a theme that has always gotten to me - people who love each other but can't be together for some reason, and so this song is about if nothing else mattered (because the world is ending) then they could be together. 

What I'm wearing...

I snapped a few flat lay photos of my recent work outfits for fun.  I wrote about my winter wardrobe last week so here are some photos to back it up.

This was my casual Friday outfit - black pants, a grey sparkly top and grey sweater with leather sleeves

Black and white skirt, blue sweater, and black tights.

Black skirt, black shirt, and pearls (and black blazer added at my office)

Navy blouse and red pants

What I'm doing this weekend...

Having dinner with a friend on Friday night and then going to the Raptors game (through work, not with Dave unfortunately), E's t-ball tryouts, and our last weekend of ski lessons (but hopefully not the last time skiing).

What I'm looking forward to next month...

PDAC (mining conference), Bingo Night at E's school, March Break, St. Patrick's Day, Dave's birthday, first day of Spring, and Jamaica!  March is a fun month!

What else is new...

I finally placed an order to get some photos of Q printed so we can update our photo wall to add him to it.  He changes so quickly that even the photos I'm printing are out of date.

Linking up with Shay.

Weekend Recap

E did not have school on Friday because of another teacher strike day so his friend came over all day, and their plan was to make cupcakes and decorate them.  They also played a few video games and walked up the street with Dave to get lunch (slice of pizza and a Booster Juice, lucky kids).  

Props to Dave to dealt with this mess!! :)

Who bakes in a sweatshirt?!

The finished products.  The cookbook E got for his birthday had all of these stencils to use with powdered sugar so it worked well. 

I was up early with Q on Saturday morning.  He looked so big lying next to me on the couch. 

I walked up the street to get a few fruits and vegetables and Bulk Bar stuff, and then did a quick trip to the grocery store for the rest of the things we needed.  When I got back we went for a walk to enjoy the sunshine and warm(er) temperatures.

Look at that blue sky!

We went home for lunch, and then I prepped some food for the next day.  I went for a run along the river while Dave took the kids to get gas.  We arrived home at the same time and got the bikes out. Q is excited about his bike and we just need to put the seat up so he can use it this summer. 

We went inside and played a bit of Mario Kart before supper, and during one race, Q dropped his controller and just passed out.  We let him sleep for about 15 minutes but woke him for supper. 

We fed the kids, got them ready for bed, and watching a movie.  Then our sitter came over and Dave and I went out to meet some friends for dinner.

First stop was Famous Last Words, a really cute bar with a book theme. 

Then our table was ready at Nodo so we had to quickly drink our cocktails and go.  But we will be back there sometime, it was so cozy.  I didn't get any photos at Nodo but rest assured we enjoyed our evening.  We shared a meat and cheese board and a couple of bottles of wine, and I had the gnocchi that was so tasty.

As usual we headed out to the hill to ski on Sunday morning.  The temperatures climbed throughout the day but we had pretty good conditions.  After lunch we took E out of his lesson so he could ski with us.  Dave took Q out for a few runs.

Eating the M and Ms out of the trail mix

Another break before going to the terrain park for a few runs with our friends, while Q and I packed up the car.

The chili I'd made the night before was ready for us when we got home, and then we got ready for the week, watched the Raptors and the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final.

February Book Review

Just a couple of books this month:

First up was The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda.

This was a quick read and kept me turning pages.  It is about a small tourist town in Maine told from the perspective of a local.  It kind of reminded me of The Affair (the show, although we haven't seen the last couple of seasons).  At the end of season party a girl is found dead on the beach.  The story goes back and forth between the night of the party and the next year when the main character starts to realize the death may not have been an accident or suicide like originally believed. 

I would recommend this for a good beach/airplane read.  It's not too complicated but entertaining enough.

The next book was More Than Words by Jill Santopolo.

I read her other book, The Light We Lost, last year.  I thought that book was pretty good, and so I thought I would pick up this one when I saw it on the shelf at the library. In this book, the main character is an heiress to a hotel business.  She has always been intended to take over the business but is currently working as speech writer for the NY mayoral candidate.  The book is pretty predictable, which I kind of felt about her last book as well, but still a good read.  This was another quick one and I read it in a couple of days.   

I am cheating by adding this on to this post, since I'm not done yet, but I will probably finish it this week, so still within the month of February.   This one is The Huntress by Kate Quinn.

I read her other book last year too, The Alice Network, and loved it.  I took a little break though since I didn't want to read another World War II book right away, but when I needed a book the other day this was on the Best Bets shelf at the library so I decided it was time to read it. I am glad I picked it up, it's really good, and I don't see that changing to the end.  There are three different stories going on throughout the book, and we are learning how they are all connected.  The thing I like about this book is that much of it is set in Russia, which is a part of the war I don't know as much about, and in particular the female pilots that flew for Russia.  I know there will likely be a twist, so I'm sorry I can't give you a full review yet, but I have no doubt this book will finish strong and I can definitely recommend it to you.

Friday Favourites

Happy Friday everyone! It is going to feel like a spring weekend here, and I'm just not ready for it yet! Leave the snow so we can get out skiing a few more times!

On Tuesday Dave played basketball so after Q went to bed E and I played a few games.  We have had Bananagrams for awhile, and although we didn't really play a real game, we had fun playing around with the letters.  We had to add the word Awesome to make Q link to the rest of us! 

We also played Mobi which is like the math version of Bananagrams.  I feel like I don't get to spend that much time with E - he is rarely up before I leave for work in the morning, and at bedtime I usually put Q to bed and Dave reads Harry Potter to E.  And on the weekends, E is playing with his friends and then he skis all day on Sunday.  So I am trying to carve out some quality time to spend with him before he grows up (sob!).

Kids enthralled by a movie after supper.  It was Farmageddon on Netflix which really has no dialogue, just animal sound effects, but it kept their attention.

The Vancouver Olympics happened 10 years ago (I know!).  What a time that was!  Our country was having so much fun.  I remember we watched almost all of the medals being won, we were obsessed.  My grandmother and mom were here visiting and we watched the bobsled.  You know how they do the replay immediately after the actual run?  Well I remember they did that, and my Nana said "Oh, they're going again!".  And we laughed and had to explain the replay concept.  I still say that sometimes when I see a replay of something like that.

Another memory I have of that is the Gold Medal Hockey Game.  You remember, the US tied it up with only a few minutes left in the 3rd period.  Dave's mom called right after regulation, before overtime, and I answered the phone very annoyed like "What do you want?!" Well she wanted to talk about the game but neither Dave and I were in the mood to talk, we were so mad!!, and I think we basically hung up on her. So when Sidney Crosby got the game winning golden goal and we cheered and jumped around and then I said to Dave, "you'd better call your mom back!".

I've been enjoying this bathroom spray from Saje, I bought one for each bathroom.  They have such nice things at that store.

My post yesterday really resonated with a lot of you, particularly about the bottled water!

Linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci.