Weekend Recap

 We had such a fun weekend, so let's get to it!  On Friday night we made our pizzas and then decorated the tree.  Now, I've said this before probably, I have a hard time letting the kids help with decorating the tree, they do not put the ornaments in the "right" spot.  But I have gotten better over the years and I only have to move a few things around after they are done.  

A little extra boost for the star placement.

On Thursday I will share photos of all of our decorations. 

After we got Q to bed, we started watching Harry Potter, which Dave thinks is a Christmas movie.  It is long though so we turned it off with about an hour left. 

On Saturday morning we got our food donation ready for pick up by Toronto Miracle.  Unfortunately I didn't make my bag of food that noticeable so they never picked it up we had to take it to the firehall the next day.  

After tidying up a bit around the house we went to High Park to check out the new playground.

And then went for a hike.

It was cold out there and were glad to get home and cozy up.  Q watched the Grinch again. 

Then the best thing arrived at our door.  A Christmas Market in a Box. Check it out here.  I had ordered this a couple of weeks ago and wasn't sure exactly when it would show up so I was pleased it came on a weekend.

So many good things.

We had a light supper of some squash soup I had made earlier in the day and a cheese, meat, and cracker plate.

And we watched The Santa Clause.

On Sunday morning I was up early so I did a workout in the basement.  Then we did some stuff around the house before the live stream of church started.  After church and lunch, we started getting ready for our backyard "Christmas Market".  I made mulled wine, and we prepared our potatoes in duck fat (that we later topped with melted raclette cheese), sausages on the BBQ, and other goodies from our food box.  

We got a fire going in the backyard and then another family came over to share our treats with us.

Popcorn with spiced sugar.

We had so much fun! It was all of the good things about a Christmas market without the crowds and the drive home.

We finished up and our guests left before 6:00 so we put everything away and then watched TV with E. 

Friday Favourites

Like many of you I'm sure you saw your top songs on Spotify (or Apple Music) this week. Well here are mine:

1. Good as Hell - Lizzo ft. Ariana Grande

2. If the World Was Ending - JP Saxe and Julia Michaels

3. Truth Hurts - Lizzo

4. exile - Taylor Swift and Bon Iver

5. Heartlines (Mount Remix) - Broods

What were yours?

I had to move my desk out of the living room to make room for the Christmas tree. I am now set up in the corner of the dining room and have a few Christmas decoration on my desk.

I got some new masks this week.  I wrote about how we mask on Monday.  I got these homemade masks here.

I've often written how to havev a healthy holiday while still enjoying yourself.  I'm keeping some of that in mind this year too.  When I know that I will be indulging in some treats later in the day, I try to keep the rest of my meals "above board".  Like this lunch I had on Wednesday - scrambled eggs, sautéed vegetables, and spelt toast.  Filling, yummy, and healthy. 

We had a surprise for the kids on Wednesday night.  We had booked tickets for a drive thru light show at the airport parking lot (since it's empty *sniff*).  I wrapped up some new Christmas PJs for the boys (or for Q, just an old pair of E's that fit Q now, he was none the wiser) and we told them we were going to drive around and look at lights.   Then we drove up to the show.

This was the start, it was pretty cool!

They were excited.

And Santa was at the end! 

I had the day off yesterday so we picked up the kids when the bell rang (instead of them going to the YMCA), and we went to get our tree.  We get it Sheridan Nurseries.

We found a good one! We will decorate it tonight after it has a chance to fall down a bit.

Since we won't be going to see Santa this year, we are missing out on our annual tradition of getting McDonalds (not that we only get it once a year, but it is always a Santa thing).  So instead we got it after we got our tree.  It was good as always!

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

Christmas Staples

A few weeks ago I posted about what we usually have for special Christmas treats.  You can see that post here.  Aside from those special meals, here are some basic items that we always make sure we have around the holidays.

Clementines - Nothing smells like Christmas more than clementines.  They are great for eating of course, but many of the recipes we use call for these little guys too. 

Lemons/Limes - We always have lots of these on hand for cocktails, but also a good lemon and ginger water can help you feel better if you're overindulged the day before. 

Hot Chocolate/Apple Cider - Q is partial to hot chocolate and E prefers apple cider.  It is fun to make a hot drink along with some popcorn to watch a Christmas movie. 

Egg Nog - I like to have a nog or two, usually when we put up the tree.  It's good with rum of course but is also tasty with Irish whiskey and Kahlua.  We always have fresh nutmeg to grate overtop as well. 

Gum Drops - I am not a big candy person but I do like gum drops, so I will get some of these to fill a candy bowl throughout the holidays. 

Cheese - We like making cheese and crackers trays on a regular basis anyway, but especially at Christmas.  Now we won't need to stock up for our party or for any guests that are stopping in, but a cheese plate makes a good light lunch when you're planning a big meal for supper. 

Duck Fat - Dave makes the best roasted potatoes, and what makes them the best is the duck fat to cook them in.  We often have a jar in the back of our fridge for this occasion. 

Fresh Herbs - Rosemary, sage, bay, thyme, and chives are common for many of the Jamie Oliver inspired Christmas dinner components. 

Spices - Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves make an appearance in many of the sweet things we make.  Sugar cookies with cardamom are the best. 

Peppermint Extract - I like cookies made with mint, and I've also made my own peppermint mocha latte which requires this extract as well.

Now, I'm off to Bulk Barn and the local produce market to pick up some of these things that I'm missing!

Time for Giving

Yesterday was "Giving Tuesday" but it's never the wrong time to make a charitable donation.  I often make donations to different things throughout the year and I try to do a bit more around the Christmas season.  For some people on my list, I know they appreciate a donation made in their honour rather than receiving gifts.  Here are some places where I'm happy to send our money.  Many are specific to Toronto since it is often my preference to support local people, but you can find the equivalent in your own city or town.

Sanctuary - A community of support for people that live on the fringes, some homeless and some in precarious housing situations, close to Yonge and Bloor in Toronto. 

FoodShareTO - Focuses on food insecurity in urban areas and provide food to schools, shut-ins, and other community members.

Women's Habitat - A shelter for women in West End Toronto.  They are also looking for donations in kind for the women and their children that seek help from them, including toys to give them for Christmas.

Daily Bread Food Bank - Food banks are always important but especially so this year.  

Toronto Miracle Food Drive - If you live in Toronto, you can register your address and then on Saturday put out a food bank donation on your porch for Toronto Miracle to pick up. 

CAMH - Mental health has had a particular spotlight this year as well, so consider how we can help those who are vulnerable and need this type of support. 

I donate to our church throughout the year and this year I made a special donation to the Mission and Service Fund.  I trust that the United Church will contribute this money to places around the world where it is most needed. 

Weekend Recap

 Another Friday night, another pizza night.  It really is such a treat to look forward to our pizzas each week. E had several bubbles in his crust this week.

After we ate, we watched Christmas Chronicles 2. 

On Saturday morning, I took E to get his flu shot.

Then we cleaned the entire house.  It was our goal to get the Christmas decorations out so we needed to tidy up and dust/vacuum.  Q hung up his sock by the fireplace.

After a few hours of cleaning and lunch, the boys and I joined our neighbours for a walk. Meanwhile Dave went for a run and did a few more things around the house. 

It was a beautiful day.

We were gone for 3 hours! So you could say we were a bit tired when we got back.  I made some noodles and potstickers for supper.  We got the decorations up from downstairs and the boys put up the trees in their rooms. 

 The we got Q to bed early and the rest of us watched Home Alone. 

On Sunday morning we started decorating.  Q and E put the Christmas story booklets into our advent calendar.

We took a break from decorating to watch our church service.

E lit the first candle of Advent.  We don't have an actual wreath, I just plan on adding a candle each week.

After lunch E went to play with the neighbours (outside) and I took Q to pick up my order at Staples (with a quick stop at Starbucks of course), and then we went to a playground.  It was not in our neighbourhood but I had driven by before and it looked like something fun and new. 

And what a surprise, we ran into one of Q's friends, who also does not live in this neighbourhood so it was a chance meeting for sure.  They got to play together for awhile and I chatted with her parents.

We went home, the kids watched a bit of TV, and I did our meal plan and grocery order and then we got supper ready.  We also watched one of our favourite holiday shows, Mr. Bean!

E selfie while I was upstairs with Q. 

We watched The Mandalorian and then it was a pretty early night for us.