Wednesday, April 29, 2020

What's Up Wednesday

My second What's Up Wednesday during the Covid isolation.  Who knew how long this would go on?



What we're eating this week...
Sunday - McDonalds
Monday - BBQ chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans
Tuesday - Red Lentil and Chickpea curry
Wednesday - Risotto (I found pancetta!)
Thursday - Tacos
Friday - Pizza (if our mail order yeast from my mom arrives)
Saturday - Take out (maybe Chinese)

What I'm reminiscing about...
Cherry blossoms.  High Park will be closed to everyone during Sakura to ensure people don't gather there. We always go to see the blossoms so I will miss doing that this year. Part of the fun is people watching especially since my photos never really turn out as well as I want them too. 



What I'm loving...
Bird songs and new buds on the trees.  A perk of being home is hearing the birds all day long and seeing the leaves come out on a daily basis.  I heard a different bird call the other day and I think I've narrowed it down to a Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

What we've been up to...
Lots of parking lot biking and backyard swinging, and sandbox.  We are of course limited on our outdoor activities.  We try to steer clear of the walking and biking trails, there are just too many people.



What I'm dreading...
A summer without any swimming.  If we aren't allowed to go to the public pools or camping then our swimming options have "dried up" (hah!). I am so envious of people that have their own pools and cottages.  Maybe things will change by then and we can at least visit someone with a pool?!

What I'm working on....
I'm working on being patient with E and his schoolwork.  He takes a long time to get focused on something and using Google Classroom while being in French Immersion is not easy anyway, not to mention I'm trying to help him while I'm also trying to work and bouncing between calls and emails myself.  He has a good attitude, it just takes so long to get anything done.  I am glad I am able to help him though and see what he is learning about.

What I'm excited about...
I am excited for the day when I can travel again.  I always have the travel bug anyway but since I'm not allowed to do it, I am just thinking of all of the places that I want to go to. My parents were supposed to be on a cruise right now so everyday my mom posts on Facebook about which port they were supposed to be in that day and what excursion they would have gone on.  It was a trans-Atlantic crossing that went into Northern Europe and then into Russia.  What fun that would be to do someday!  Also I want to take E to London so he can see St. Paul's Cathedral and Big Ben (from Mary Poppins of course), and other places from movies he has seen.  And on and on - the world is so big and I am more appreciative now of being able to visit anywhere you want.

St. Paul's from our trip in 2010.

What I'm watching/reading...
Dave and I finished Ozark on Netflix and The Capture on Prime.  We are of course watching The Last Dance and I have started Grey's Anatomy again.  I used to love that show and then I stopped watching it a few years ago.


I am reading The Great Alone.  It was the only library book I took out before they closed but I hadn't picked it up yet.  Then someone on my Instagram recommended it so I decided to start it.  I'm halfway through and I love it so far.


What I'm listening to...
Podcasts - Peter Mansbridge and Armchair Expert.  I will put in one Airpod while I am outside with the kids so I can listen in the background.

What I'm wearing...
Not my shoes. I saw this tweet the other day and it resonated with me.  I have about 5 pairs of shoes at my office, and a blazer, that I have not used in 6 weeks, I'm sure they are missing me.

What I'm doing this weekend...
Making good food, enjoying the sunshine, and watching movies.  We need to get some flower pots and herbs to plant so I'm hoping we can do a curb side order and pick them up soon.

What I'm looking forward to next month...
Hmm, well I'm hoping that something will change next month although I don't know what that could be.  I am looking forward to Mother's Day and Dave's and my anniversary.

What else is new...
I mentioned this in yesterday's post but if you missed it, I cut Dave's hair on the weekend and it actually turned out pretty good :)


Linking up with Shay.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Weekend Recap

We found lots of fun things to do on the weekend - starting with kite flying on Friday afternoon.  We have been watching and listening to the Mary Poppins so "Let's Go Fly a Kite" has been on the brain.  Dave found his old kite and took the boys to fly it in a field.  It was not super windy but here is proof they got it up in the air at least once.

We made pizzas for supper and I used my Uncle Robert's combination of sliced tomatoes and black olives.  So delicious!

Then we went down to watch Toy Story 4 with the gang.

On Saturday morning I got up early with Q and then was able to make pancakes before my Zoom workout started at 8:30.  The boys played legos in the basement and I read my book.

After lunch the boys went to ride their bikes in the parking lot.


While we were out we got the idea to make ice cream.  We fortunately had enough cream so we made two kinds - mint chocolate chip and strawberry.  We have one of those ice cream balls that works with ice and salt to freeze the ice cream while you roll it around.


While we were doing that Q actually fell asleep on the floor.

Back outside for a bit before supper. 

We tried opening this wine but the cork was stuck and since it was a rubbery cork, not a natural one, we couldn't dig it out.  Dave tied a rope around the neck and lit it on fire (tips from the Internet!) and the cork came up enough that we could get it open.  

Homemade ice cream after supper!


That evening we "met" up with some neighbours on Zoom and enjoyed a few beverages together. 

We watched some movies in the morning and I read more of my book.  Then it was time to cut Dave's hair.  I watched a video on YouTube and figured it out.

The before shot

Collecting the hair at the top around his crown, chip clip since we don't have fancy hair clips.

Hard at work

And after.  I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself.

Dave thinks this means I will cut his hair all of the time, but that will not be happening, haha!

I took Q for a drive to try and get him to nap but he did not so we just came home.  Then we all hung out on E's bed and watched our screens. 

We went to McDonalds drive thru for our dinner but sadly we got the wrong order and didn't notice until we got home. It wasn't the end of the world though, we just got three Happy Meals instead of two and Quarter Pounders instead of Big Macs (plus two McChickens).  The extra fries did not go to waste.  Then showers and bed for the boys.  Dave and I watched SNL and it was really funny.  It can be hit or miss but I thought all of the skits were great. I was in tears at the end #turtel.



Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Weekend Recap

Here is our weekend recap - different from the week since Dave and I don't have to work and we are able to leave the house for longer periods of time without worrying we have to get home for a call. 

It was chilly on Friday and we were all bundled up when we played in the backyard in the morning. 

I picked up some bread and produce in the morning and some wine at the LCBO in the afternoon.  Both experiences were pretty good and I didn't have to wait for long at any place, and they had what I wanted. 

We made pizza for supper on Friday and while we were cooking I snapped this photo for Instagram.  It was the end of Week 5 at home and we're still smiling.  Pizza tip - put olive oil on your dough under your sauce, it changes everything!  After our pizza we watched Trolls World Tour again. 

It was a bright and sunny day on Saturday.  Although it still wasn't super warm, it was still warmer than it was the day before.  I did my workout class in the basement while the kids watched some movies.  Then we all headed outside. 

I drew a hopscotch on the sidewalk outside and we have seen a few people stop to play on their way by.




I traced the boys again, and then afterwards I wrote "We miss you friends and neighbours"


Then we went for a walk through the neighbourhood to the south of us.  We thought we may be able to get into the Humber Marshes for a hike but we couldn't find an entry point so we just walked on the streets. 

We had a good supper of roasted vegetables and quinoa made into a salad, and we were able to get the kids to bed fairly early, and then Dave and I watched a new show on Prime called The Capture. 

On Sunday morning I did a workout downstairs and then Dave went for a run.  I also "attended" church and heard the message of Doubting Thomas and enjoyed some lovely music.

I convinced Q to try his bike finally and I took the boys to the parking lot to ride around for awhile.


Then to the backyard for a bit. The sun was lovely.

Then we got the kids to make cookies and I actually managed to let them do it even with the mess.  We used my friend Janna's mother's recipe, they really are the best chocolate chip cookies. 




We had steak for supper.  Everything was so delicious.

Baths for the kids, some bedtime stories, and then Dave and I watched The National so we could get the full story about the Nova Scotia shooting.  I've said it before, but the National does a good job of reporting on the news and it helped me understand what happened after sort of being confused as I had followed along on Twitter all day.  What a sad story anyway but is compounded by the inability of people to grieve together.