Friday, October 28, 2022

Friday Favourites

 


Is anyone else a Harry Potter fan out there?  I was never that into it, I did not read the books and only saw the movies at Dave's urging, but now that E is reading the books and watching the movies, and even Q is getting in on the action as we read to him, I'm a bit more interested than I once was.  This week we went to see the production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child here in Toronto.  For someone who isn't a huge HP fan and doesn't like the theatre, I actually enjoyed the show and would recommend going to see it.  The kids were enthralled and even Q stayed awake for the entire 3+ hours!! (Yes, it's long.)  E was Harry Potter for Halloween one year so he wore his costume, complete with new Hedwig that Dave brought from Universal last week, and Q work his Quidditch jersey that Dave also picked up from Universal.  It was great fun!












Invitation to Hogwarts cookie. E also got some Butter Beer.  



This story takes place after the books, which means there are spoilers for those who haven't finished the books, like E, who is on book 5, but most of the focus was on what happened in the Goblet of Fire, which he had read.  I'm sure there are a few things that went over E's head in terms of who married whom, so really it's not a big deal.  

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.



Thursday, October 27, 2022

Monthly Musings

 


As you already know, Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving earlier this month, so instead of a "prep" post, I'll call this a "recap". Linking up with Patty and Holly.

1. Do you host Thanksgiving or go elsewhere?
We have hosted the past few years.

2. What dishes do you make or contribute?
This year I made turkey, gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts, parsnips, and cranberry sauce.  I usually strive for a colourful plate. 

3. What is your favourite Thanksgiving recipe and will you share it with us?
I follow Jamie Oliver's method for cooking the turkey, more or less. I put the herbed butter under the skin and I don't use the bacon. 

4. What are your Thanksgiving traditions?
We get a long weekend for Thanksgiving with the holiday on Monday, so we typically eat our big dinner on Sunday and then have a full day off school and work on Monday for leftovers and some outdoor time. 

5. Stuffing or dressing?
I'm not sure what the difference is, I call the bread mixture "dressing" but I do put some of it in the bird and bake the rest in a dish. 

6. Pumpkin, pecan or apple pie?
For Thanksgiving, always pumpkin and apple.

7. Casual dining or set the table?
We set the table, but it's with the same cutlery and dishes as everyday.  If we are having people we may do up place settings. 

8. Favourite beverages to serve with Thanksgiving dinner?
White wine for me please!

9. Do you shop Black Friday?
I have, but now I'm mostly just checking for deals online.

10. Holiday movie or football game?
We were hoping to watch the Blue Jays on Thanksgiving Sunday this year but it was not to be! I instead watched About Time while I was cooking our meal.




Wednesday, October 26, 2022

What's Up Wednesday

What we're eating this week...
Monday - Fish cakes and baked beans
Tuesday - 3 Brewers
Wednesday - Broccoli, Sausage, and Cheese soup
Thursday - Chicken Meatballs and Orzo
Friday - Out with friends
Saturday - Dinner in with friends

What I'm reminiscing about...
Dave just got back from Orlando where he got to go to Universal with his colleagues.  I am remembering when we all went to Disney four years ago, it was so much fun (and hot, I always have to mention that)!

What I'm loving...
The sleep data on my phone and watch. I'm obsessed with making sure my watch is charged so I can wear it throughout the night and then as soon as I switch out of sleep mode, I'm checking to see how much deep sleep I've had.  I'm hoping the novelty will wear off because when I wake up in the middle of the night, my first thought is about the sleep app and how it will affect my numbers.

What we've been up to...
We've been celebrating birthdays - Q's in September and E's last week - with cake, parties, and new toys/games to play.  I like being in birthday mode for these few weeks, but glad to take a breather before Christmas. 


What I'm dreading...
Christmas spending. 

What I'm working on...
I'm thinking about travel ideas for the spring. I'd love to go to Italy or London, but we've been there before so it would be nice to try somewhere new. 

What I'm excited about...
Our mums are still so beautiful.  I took this photo a few weeks ago, but they are still as bright and full as this. And I have the purply ones as the background to my phone.



What I'm watching/reading...
Dave and I have had reciprocal work trips so that has been eating into the TV shows we watch together.  This week though, we are going to dig into Netflix's latest Halloween show "The Midnight Club". We enjoyed the ones from years past (The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass).

I only read one book this month! I'll write about it Monday.  In the meantime I've got three more from the library.

What I'm listening to...
Listening to such playlists as "Sweater Weather" and Wanderlust".

What I'm wearing...
I'm starting to get out my warmer clothes including a jacket and gloves when I'm walking to work in the morning, but no big coat and boots yet!! *knock on wood*

What I'm doing this weekend...
My friend Cindy will be in town so we are going out for dinner and then we are going to host her and our friend Megan and her family for dinner on Saturday.  Then we need to carve pumpkins and make sure costumes are ready for Halloween.



What I'm looking forward to next month...
Continuing to enjoy the fall weather, raking leaves, and we are going to see Noah Reid in concert at the Danforth Music Hall. 

What else is new...
We have a few fall decorations around the house, and Q's new painting fit right in.  (This is E's last year's school photo.)



Linking up with Shay.





 

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Weekend Recap

 We had an action packed weekend!   It was E's Birthday on Friday.  As per his request we had French toast. 


He had a great day celebrating his birthday at school with lots of well wishes.   

Q had skating.  We watched the zamboni make its rounds.

E waited with us until he had swimming.

Then we hit up Queen Margherita Pizza for E's birthday supper.  This place never disappoints.


Home for presents and cake.


The large boxes look impressive but it was just a Hush weighted blanket (and pillow, free with purchase of the blanket).  Maybe not as exciting as a toy but E does like the new blanket and pillow.


The new thing is pinching out the flames.

On Saturday morning I made E's birthday cake for his party.  I make Smitten Kitchen's recipe for cake (and used the chocolate recipe for Q's birthday party) and it is always so good. 

E had a rock climbing party at Boulderz.  Everyone did well with the climbing and had a good time.  I think we will have to go back for an afternoon sometime. 














Look how high!


Our crew


Lots of discussion while the kids enjoyed the pizza and cake (and the chips, cheezies, vegetables and fruit).  Dave commented, this is why the kids don't finish their lunch some days, too much chattering.


We got everyone home safely and then went to our neighbours' for a fire.

On Sunday I went to church with the boys while Dave tidied up the house.  His parents came in the afternoon and then we went to High Park for a walk.













I tried to get this blue jay that was ahead of us on the trail. 



I had been wanting to get some German food inspired by Oktoberfest so I found Otto's Bierhalle on Queen West.  It was a good find.  Schnitzel, spaetzel, pretzels, pickles, and beer - we were well fed. 






We were ready for bed when we got home!