Monthly Musings

 

Linking up with Holly and Patty.

1. What is your go-to spring outfit?

Linen pants and a tank top.

2. Favourite spring fashion pieces?

I like a new dress. I always like to go shopping at a few boutiques near my house to see what dresses they have.

3. Do you change your handbag for spring?

No, I don't have a large collection of handbags so I just continue using whatever I'm using.  

4. When do you bring out your open toed shoes?

Usually when the temperature is consistently above 10 degrees Celsius. 

5. Favourite spring scents?

The perfume I wear is Jo Malone's English Pear and Freesia, which I wear all the time, even though it sounds springy. In nature I love the smell of lilacs which are only out for a short period in the spring. 

6. White after Easter? After Memorial Day? Heck, whenever I want?

I don't wear a lot of white but when I wear it it's not dependent on a date on the calendar.

7. Favourite ways to add spring to your wardrobe when the weather is not quite cooperating?

Try to break away from the black that I seem to wear consistently in fall and winter, adding something with florals, even if I still need to wear a sweater on top.

8. Do you change up your make-up routine for spring?

I try to be better at putting sunscreen under my make up everyday.  My dermatologist said I should do it even in the winter but I don't always remember.  But since I start being outside more in the spring, I need to be better at putting it on everyday, even when I'm not wearing makeup (which is most days).

9. How do you transition your wardrobe for spring?

When the weather is consistently warmer, maybe in a couple of weeks, I will bring out my summer clothes (light pants, thinner dresses, tank tops, shorts) and put away my winter things (knit dresses, heavy sweaters, long sleeved tops). Start wearing sneakers instead of boots.  Stop wearing nylons or tights with skirts/dresses. 

10/  Favourite spring accessories/jewerly?

Earrings that are a bit more bold and aren't hidden under a touque or scarf.  Bracelets that aren't hidden under jacket sleeves.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate! He is risen!

I will be back next week. 

What's Up Wednesday

  

Happy Wednesday, I'm coming at you from the Southern Hemisphere, Lima Peru. Hola!

What we're eating this week...

I've had some good meals so far here in Lima, but I haven't had any ceviche or pisco sours yet.  Maybe tonight.

 

What I'm reminiscing about...

Obviously the time when Dave and I visited Peru in 2012. I didn't have this blog back then, but later on I did a couple of posts about our trip, you can read them here: Lima and Cusco and Machu Picchu. 

What I'm loving...

I love travelling. It really is so important to get out of your little bubble and experience new places. It shows us how people live their lives differently but also how similar we all really are.  Peruvians - they're just like us! (But also different.)You can make a lot of assumptions about different parts of the world and it's so good to challenge those assumptions.

What we've been up to...

With the snow we got last weekend, the kids were finally able to go sledding on Saturday morning.  It was a beautiful day.

What I'm dreading...

I arrive home from Peru at 1:00 am and I'm not looking forward to that flight and being up so late.  Fortunately the following day is a holiday so I will get to sleep in a bit.

What I'm working on...

Well I haven't started this yet, but we need to get our taxes done soon.

What I'm excited about...

Honestly I'm excited to see King Charles at Easter services this weekend, he said he would be attending.  I am one of those people who have engaged in numerous conspiracy theories related to him and Kate, but ultimately I, of course, want them back to be fine. It will be great to see him out and about this weekend. 

What I'm watching/reading...

Right now I'm watching a Peru vs. Dominican Republic friendly soccer game. I love the Peru team's jerseys.

The library computer system is back online so my holds came in and I'm finally reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorow.  I love it so far.

What I'm listening to...

I'm catching up on The Bridge podcast.  I didn't listen when we were in Quebec and that set me back. 

What I'm wearing...

This week I'm wearing some summer type dresses and no nylons!  It's nice to be in a warm climate for a couple of days.

What I'm doing this weekend...

Celebrating Easter.  It's my favourite holiday!

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

The eclipse, Blue Jays baseball, kids' summer sports getting underway, and maybe golf courses will be opening?!

What else is new...

Pizza night was back on at our house on Friday.  Now that ski season is over we feel like we can spend a bit more time relaxing on Friday night instead of doing all the prep work to be gone for most of the weekend.  

Linking up with Shay.

Friday Favourites

 

Happy Friday!  

Something I am very excited about is this is our first weekend since the end of December that we aren't going skiing.  We love our ski season but it is nice when it wraps up.  Now, it is officially Spring, but we are expecting some snow today.

It was Dave's Birthday on Wednesday.  We celebrated with some cinnamon buns from Danish Pastry House in the morning, tacos, ice cream cake, and some gifts. 

The construction on our street is finally wrapping up, but they were going out with a literal bang.  The banging shook the house and it was loud.  I was at the office on Monday and Tuesday so I missed out on most of it and I was surprised by how loud it was on Wednesday when I was at home. 

Earlier this week I shared the recaps from our March Break ski trip to Quebec - Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

I'm off to Lima on Monday for a work trip, but I will have a few posts set up so check back next week.

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Let's Look - Grocery Carts

Linking up a day late for Let’s Look.  This month we are sharing what’s in our grocery carts. I love looking at what people are putting into their cart. 

In September, I did a post about our weekly groceries, you can read that here.  Nothing much has changed since then, although we are back upstairs in our house (whereas we were in the basement in September during our reno) and so I can buy things that can be cooked in the oven now.

Here are some things that are always in my regular grocery store order:

2% milk, eggs, half and half cream, greek yoghurt (plain and some fruit kind), cheddar cheese, chicken, sausages, ground beef/turkey, mini-buns, sweet potato, bananas, pears, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, ham, hummus, cereal, frozen waffles, frozen fruit, frozen broccoli, pasta, pasta sauce, chick peas, canned lentils, canned tomatoes.

Typically I will do a grocery order at Loblaws but the other day I went to a large No Frills nearby (for you non-Canadians, it's same brand as Loblaws but is a tier down).  I was shocked to find out that almost every single thing was cheaper, even though they were identical items.  I went through my grocery bill when I got home to compare to Loblaws and I saved more than $30 on my regular grocery order.  The only things that were the same price between the two stores were milk, eggs, and chicken thighs.  I feel like an idiot that I haven't figured this out until now, although I'm sure many people already know this. We will be returning to No Frills to do most of our shopping I think.  Another bonus of the No Frills that I went to is that it had so many different options for international type food given the diverse population in the neighbourhood.  I can't wait to try different sauces, noodles, frozen foods, etc.  

When we go to Costco, we pick up snacks for school (granola bars, apple sauce packets), beef jerky, trail mix, cookies, baguettes, tuna, chips, maple syrup, crackers, butter, Perrier, laundry soap, toilet paper, almond butter, and jam.

We are also lucky to live in a walkable neighbourhood where we can go to the butcher, fish monger, bakery, and produce stand (we also have a small No Frills).  We like to walk up to buy things throughout the week.

January - Closets

February - Everyday Things

 

Happy Birthday Dave!!

It's Dave's birthday today and we are celebrating the best dad and husband! I always use this post to extol his virtues.  This year he took on the extra role of project manager and design coordinator for our home renovation project.  He dealt with most of the details, followed up with our contractor to make sure things were done properly, came up with lots of design ideas, and put up with me who admittedly does not put the same level of effort into these details.  We are grateful for the care he put into this project, it was a success because of him. 

Everyone loves Big Dave, but we love him the most!

Quebec Trip Recap - Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of 2 of our March Break holiday, you read Part 1 here.

After two days of snow and wind, we woke up to the promise of a blue bird day on Tuesday. 

Waiting for the 8:00 am bus again!

Ready to hit those black diamonds.

My legs were not hurting on this morning and I was able to keep up with the group on the black diamonds. They were freshly groomed and we zipped down a few of them first thing.

Q did take a tumble on one of them and wanted to go inside for a few minutes.  He was fine, but certainly felt better after a hot chocolate and shared muffin.

Then back outside for the rest of the morning.  E met up with one of his friends from the race club.

This was our longest line of the trip, over half an hour, so I took the time to take a few photos.

We went down to the base for lunch. 

We successfully got four families together at one restaurant for pizza. 

Then back up for a beautiful afternoon.  We went over to the Edge which is all black diamonds, but there is also a green run, so while most of our group took the hard way down, me and Linas (and M) did the green run.

Oh hey!

A nice perk of our hotel, we were welcomed back each day with hot chocolate and a cookie in the lobby.

Dave had taken several Go Pro videos of our day so we gathered to watch some of them after supper.

Our group!

On Wednesday a few of us decided to take a rest day.  We had an easy morning, made pancakes, watched some movies, and then went for a walk in the woods. 

In the afternoon some of the ladies went to the Scandinavia Spa.  I got a massage and it was so nice!

(Not my photo, but you get an idea of what it's like.)

We went for supper at Le Q.G. in the village.

It has the best decor.

We all enjoyed our meal and wine and were happy they were able to accommodate 16 of us.

We opted for ice cream sandwiches from the general store for dessert and walked around a bit before heading home.

On Thursday, it was warmer so we again were on the early shuttle to take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures before it warmed up too much in the afternoon. 

We were eat the back of the bus.  I was making that face because it was bumpy and I wasn't sure if I would get a clear photo.

Waiting for the gondola.

Another beautiful morning.

We treated the kids to some maple taffy treats.

And we found another friend from Glacier.

We upped our après game with oysters and Prosecco.  So grateful for these friends.

Our last day on Friday was a repeat of the previous day. Cooler morning, but knowing it was going to warm up quickly.

Clear views from the top.

Gus took a break as we waited for the others to come out of the glades.

After a couple of runs in the afternoon, I knew my legs were done, so I went inside while the rest did some runs (and could do them faster without having to wait for me).  I was not complaining about my set up.

Then E came inside and had a hot chocolate.

We enjoyed some beer and nachos down at the village before getting the second last shuttle home for the night.  We ate dinner at the lobby bar and got to hear some live music.  

On Saturday we packed up and hit the road for home.  Q had been looking at this map and he seemed quite into it, then I realized he was hiding his iPad behind the map and playing on it instead!! He thought he was so clever!

We arrived home around 4:00, got the car unpacked, and ordered Chinese food. It was nice to be back home. 

I love a ski vacation, this being our third March Break in a row, but it is not a relaxing holiday. We were up early each day, making breakfast, pulling kids out of bed, hustling to the hill, and being very active all day.  There were no naps, no reading, and only a couple of movies, but there are so many moments of joy - laughing at the whipping wind, feeling accomplished for getting down a black diamond, exploring new trails, enjoying the warm sun, sitting on a patio with friends, and watching the kids excel at skiing.  Our goal of getting our kids into skiing at a young age was to have a skiing family that can do these trips, and we are doing it!