Weekend Recap

I drove Q to school on Friday morning and the temperature was -17.  But the kids were bundled up and they were fine.  I got to go right home to drink hot coffee in my sweater and slippers so I didn't mind at all!

We went over to our neighbours' for dinner on Friday night.  Nice to chat while the kids played in the basement. 

Saturday morning came early and we set out for skiing.  Unfortunately part of the highway was closed, but we detoured onto the country roads.  A very cold wintry morning.

The temperature said -19 when we arrived.  It wasn't that bad when we started out, and we got a lot of skiing in, the cold temperatures kept others away so we never had to wait in any long lift lines. 

Q tried using his poles and did really well. If he's going to do the race program next year we thought he should get used to them. 

A successful day on the slopes.

Dave was helping to take down the race gates and fences so we waited for him inside.

E wanted to throw the hand warmer at me while I took the photo so this is the result.

The drive home went much smoother. We stopped in at the carwash when we got home.

Tacos for supper and then we watched Wakanda Forever. 

On Sunday morning Dave and Q stayed home while I took E to his race at The Heights. 

The temperatures were much warmer.

E had two good races and he looked great in his new race suit. 

These boys were pretending to be sad they didn't win.

We made some cocktails before supper.  These are Negronis.

And that may be the end of our cold temperatures, all two days of them!

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.

Friday Favourites

Another beautiful summer week.  Let's kick off today's post with this silly guy.  E has enjoyed two full weeks at Humriva Eco Camp (a city camp held on the banks of the Humber River).  They did two field trips, swam three times at an outdoor pool, had a campfire, learned archery, played Capture the Flag, sang songs, and made crafts.  

I had lunch with a colleague at Reds this week (the Square One location) and we both designed our own Gin and Tonics.  I picked the raspberries, cacao nibs, and cardamon pods to accompany my Tanqueray Rangpur gin.  So refreshing.

I had a meeting downtown on Wednesday morning so I took the opportunity to meet a friend for coffee before heading back to the office.  We met at Pilot Coffee Roasters at First Canadian Place.  I love a good Americano. I also picked up a delicious vegan Caesar salad to take with me for lunch.  Plus had a nice visit with a friend of course!

If you're looking for a fun beach read, get this one. 

Q had costume day at school this week.  I gave him the fire fighter jacket and hat to wear.  He wasn't too keen on it at home but when he got to school, he decided to try them on.

I ordered some new sneakers for the boys from The Shoe Company this week.  I usually find what I want here, and they often have good deals (like two pairs for Q and one for E for $90).  And if you need to return them, you can easily go to any retail store and do it. 

New haircut for E, inspired by a kid at his camp this week. 

Dave suggested one of our favourite spots for supper on Thursday night and I could not say no.  We love QMP! 

Happy Friday!

Basil Lemon Mojito

We got a new basil plant this week because our original one wasn't doing so well.  Our new one had a few too many large stems so we had to trim it down right away.  We kept some of the sprigs in some water on the windowsill and they inspired me to try a new cocktail.  This fun, fresh and fizzy drink is so tasty on a hot evening.  I just wish we had had enough to make a second round of them!

Basil Lemon Mojito*
(for one drink)

1 sprig of mint

1 sprig of basil

1 to 2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 shots of rum (I used 7 Year Old Havana Club)

juice from half a lemon

club soda

Remove the mint and basil leaves from the stems.  Tear into smaller pieces.  Muddle with the sugar in the bottom of a short glass.  We actually muddle ours in a cocktail shaker so we can strain out the bits of mint and basil.

Add the rum and lemon.  Shake with ice if using the cocktail shaker, or stir if you're muddling right in the glass.  Strain into the glass.  Add some ice cubes. Top with club soda and stir with a spoon.  Garnish with some leftover small mint or basil leaves.

Even though I strained out most of the leaves, I added a few back in for some colour.

*I didn't know if you could still call this drink a mojito if it didn't have lime, but I think you can still get away with it.  It still has the rum and mint.

Try this for your next evening on the patio.