Friday Favourites

Happy Friday! Our summer is steaming right along. I wrote on Wednesday that I feel like summer will be over too soon and we will won't have been able to do "everything".  But I concluded that we still have lots of time for fun, and we don't need to do everything to still have a summer. 

Like yesterday when I went out for lunch with some colleagues at the Union Station Summer Market.  I love it so much, so fun seeing the tourists mingling in with the workers on their lunch break.

Q is at Pine Project camp this week and it's all outdoors, exploring the river and the woods near our house.  He came home with a bunch of glass he had collected, sticks, and some woven bracelets.  He was very proud.

E has been at golf camp this week and has also gotten two rounds in in the evening.  When I dropped him off on Tuesday he grabbed his clubs and went right to the practice range.  

When I picked up him up later there was a coyote on the road. 

He looks a little like a cartoon.

I biked to work twice this week, and this was the little table in my office.  It was getting a bit out of hand. Lunch, coffee cup, a few things from the drugstore, water and helmet.  Luckily I have a good bag to haul it all home, along with my computer and change of clothes of course.

For anyone who was concerned about us here in Ontario, the liquor store workers ended their strike and the stores opened back up on Tuesday.  Not that I was really desperate, but I did go that day to replenish our gin, bourbon, Aperol, and wine.  

We went to see Twisters yesterday.  It was so good! I loved it all, it helps that we just rewatched Twister so I appreciated this one a bit more.  

Have a great weekend!

Linking up with Andrea.

Monthly Musings

 

Linking up with Holly and Patty for this month's musings:

1. Summer travel - where have you been and what trips are still coming up?

We went camping at Killbear Provincial Park.  We are going to Nova Scotia for a week.  We also have cottage weekends with friends in Collingwood and Muskoka. 

2. Favourite things you have done so far this summer?

I've really enjoyed Q's t-ball tournaments (read about them here and here).  The team is great and it's fun to hang out with the parents during the weekend.  Since it's the rep team it's slightly less frustrating to watch than the house league!

3. Share your go-to outfits this summer.

I got this dress from Athleta. and it is the most comfortable thing! 

4. Summer accessories you are never without?

Goodr sunglasses. 

5. Share your go-to shoes this summer?

Birkenstocks, the plastic waterproof ones. I've had the white pair for a couple of years but just bought the faded lime pair. 

6. Share anything spontaneous you did this summer, big or small.

We bought a new Yeti cooler! If you can count that as spontaneous.

7. Have you seen any summer movies this year?

We saw Despicable Me 4, but I really just want to see Twisters!!

8. Favourite summer sweet treat?

I love an ice cream sandwich, the ones made with chocolate chip cookies. 

9.  Summer slow down or ready for fall?

SLOW DOWN!

10. Ready for back to school?

Not in the slightest!  Our school doesn't start until after Labour Day so we don't need to think about it yet!

Midsummer

I don't know if others feel this way, but sometimes at this time of the summer I feel panicky that we aren't going to get to do all of the things, that we aren't having enough fun, and that summer will be over too soon.  Our summer months are so short, and we are busy with camps and sports that sometimes it feels like the time is flying by and we will miss out on something.  But this is why I don't like creating "summer bucket lists" or too many "traditions" because each summer is different.  We don't always get to do everything but there is no reason for that to elicit panic.  Instead I remind myself to slow down and appreciate all of the moments, even the ones that are low key.  Reading a book in the yard is still a worthwhile summer activity, it doesn't have to be all Blue Jays, Canada's Wonderland, and beach time.  This summer we are enjoying being at the golf course (Dave and E), playing t-ball (Q), and riding bikes (all of us, but me especially biking to work).  

And we still have lots left of those things, and more - cottage time with friends, Nova Scotia with family, watching the Olympics, and more visitors here.  We will definitely get a couple more Blue Jays games in, more lunches and dinners on a patio, 

The only thing I really feel like I'm missing out on is swimming! I love going swimming but there hasn't seemed to be that many opportunities.  We either have a sport to attend or the city is flooded, haha.  And on those nights when we don't have anything to do, we do like those quiet evenings at home too. 

Dave would say we need more ice cream cones! And no one is going to disagree with him.

This is just your kind reminder to be in the moment instead of wishing you were somewhere else doing more.  We're doing just fine!

Weekend Recap

This was my work set up on Friday morning.  I love being able to work outside. 

Q had a t-ball tournament in Mississauga with the first game on Friday evening.  It was a great night to be watching a game, and the boys looked great warming up.

We got a new cooler so we needed a selfie with it.

In the dugout.

They won!

Post game meeting.

We were back the next morning for an 8:00 game.  The team played well again.  This is Q coming into home.

On deck.

We had a big break between games. We enjoyed the sunshine, hanging out with the team, and a picnic in the shade. 

Our next game was tough, and with a great comeback from our team we ended up tying.   We got home at a good time in the afternoon so I made a quick stop at the grocery store and then we got Q to bed at a decent time. 

We were back out to the tournament on Sunday for another 8:00 game.  We won that so we moved onto the 10:00 semi-final game, but we ended up losing (and it was the team we tied the day before!).

Q had a great weekend!

Lining up to get their participation medals.

Thanks for your hard work coaches!!

The afternoon called for F1, a nap, Aperol Spritz, pizza delivery, and some cards.   

Friday Favourites

Happy Friday!

We had a bit of a crazy week here in Toronto, more on that in a minute.  Monday started out normally enough.  We did get a lot of rain on Monday but by the time I needed to bike home from work and go to Q’s soccer, it was a nice evening.  

After soccer we sat and watched the baseball.

It was dark when we were biking home but we all have lights so it was fine. 

Then on Tuesday it rained and rained.  My lobby was even flooding, this is the elevator bank, you can see the water creeping in.  

Shortly after that, our building lost power and there was even more water in the lobby so we needed to evacuate. Union Station was also flooded and a portion of the subway was closed down, and the streets were crazy since everyone was trying to leave the downtown core at the same time.  And the power was still out.  A colleague and I figured out how to get home, and we ended up walking north on University until we got to Queen’s Park Station and then the subway was back up so we were able to head home.  

The power was still out at our house when I got home. E had friends over (since both of his golf games were cancelled due to rain and flooding) and they were playing board games. 

Fortunately Bloor Street had power so we walked up there to get supper and then an ice cream cone (and Q was at a birthday party in the neighborhood). And our power was back on by the time we got home.

On Wednesday we had one of my favourite meals - jerk chicken, rice, coleslaw, and patty. 

A not so favourite is that my bike broke on Thursday.  Fortunately I was almost at the ball field where I was meeting Dave and the kids so I only had to walk it a short distance and then I took the subway home from there.  You can’t really tell but the back chain thingy just sheared off while I was changing gears.  I am taking it into the bike shop today to see if they can do anything about it. 

We have a fun weekend coming up - Q had a t-ball tournament in Mississauga.  

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Top Three

 Here are top three things for some random categories and favourites:

Things I’ve ordered online lately
Collagen powder, Birkenstocks, Old Navy clothes for E

Makeup brands I like
Nars, Laura Mercier, Sephora's House Brand

Olympic Sports Winter

Ski Cross, Snowboarding, Figure Skating

Olympic Sports Summer

Gymnastics, Sprinting, Rowing

Things I love about Toronto 
Jamaican patties are always available, every neighbourhood has a flower/plant store, you can hear several languages being spoken everyday

Celebrity deaths I still get sad about
Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain

Superstitions
Knocking on wood, walking under a ladder, putting an open umbrella over your head inside

Actors
Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt

Actresses
Kate Winslet, Oliva Coleman, Maggie Smith

Things I hate about summer
Putting on sunscreen, rainstorms that cancel outdoor plans, wasps/hornets

Places to buy furniture
 Crate and Barrel, Wayfair, Article

Things in the car
Chargers, Advil, umbrella 

Things I love about our neighbourhood 
Walkability, lots of trees, neighbours

Cocktails
Negroni, Aperol Spritz, Gin and Tonic

Non-alcoholic Drinks

Coffee, Diet Pepsi, Perrier with Lemon and Ginger

Card Games

Crib, Euchre, Play Nine

Episodes of The Bear
Forks, Bolognese, Tomorrow

Episodes of Seinfeld
The Strike, The Marine Biologist, The Shower Head

Things I never seem to have when I need them
A bookmark, a hair elastic when I'm cooking, cash

Numbers
3, 8, 11

Skills I acquired when I was young
Golf, Piano, Cooking

Weekend Recap

 

Friday started out so hot and sunny.  Dave and I were looking forward to our golf game.

But as is typical in Southern Ontario, the heat brought the thundershowers, so our 18 holes were shortened to 9 and a meal inside instead of on the patio.  But it was still a great night!

The golf club always has nice flowers and these hydrangeas were no exception!

On Saturday we were up bright and early to go and pick up our boys from camp!  We were excited to see them and hear about their two weeks away.  

They were excited to see us too.  After a trip to the camp store and a quick photo op, we were back on the road. 

We stopped in the town of Bala for lunch.  I love Bala, if we were to buy a cottage I would want to be near here I think.

We had lunch at Jack and Stella the most adorable shop and cafe. We had seats out by the water and shared our table with a group of fellow Dalhousie grads, together for a guys’ weekend.  They were a few years younger than us but we reminisced about Halifax.

The kids were happy to grab their iPads for a bit when they got home, but we did get outside to play family washer toss and enjoy the beautiful day. 

This was Q’s last day at the camp store, apparently he thought he needed to use up all of the money on his account.  He came home with a bag of candy and also a hat for me. 

On Sunday, all was back to normal - Dave was golfing, E was at a birthday party, Q was playing with neighbours and I was folding laundry. 

Q had a t-ball game in the afternoon and we wondered if he would get it in because of the rainstorm, but it cleared up just in time and they got to play. 

We made some yummy burgers for our supper when we got home.  Nice to have the boys home.