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. 

Current Thoughts

It is crazy that someone shot at former President Trump, crazy.

It is sad that we live in a world where our leaders are not safe.

It is also sad that there is a candidate for President that is shot at and the reaction of many people is “too bad they missed”. It means that he is so polarizing that people feel comfortable wishing him dead. 

It’s also crazy that I didn’t talk about this with anyone else on Sunday, even though I talked to many people. But our world is such that this event is just another day that didn’t seem to be at the top of anyone’s mind.

I was excited to see Princesses Catherine and Charlotte at Wimbledon yesterday. They both looked so nice. 

I keep forgetting this is an Olympic year; we need more promotion to get us hyped up. 

People that don’t take their backpack off on the subway are equivalent to the ones that don’t put their shopping cart back.

What is up with the LCBO (liquor store)? Can’t they get their act together to get back to work? I’m not desperate for alcohol or anything but the strike just seems like a big waste of everyone’s time.

What is on your mind?  

Happy Monday!

Friday Favourites

I can't believe it's Friday and we will be going to pick up the kids from camp tomorrow, those 2 weeks flew by!!  We are excited to see them and hear all about it.  Last week I posted about why we send our kids to overnight camp and the top reason was to build independence.  Poor Q was sick at the beginning of this week and needed to spend some time in the health centre.  He was fine after a day, so no harm done, but another good experience for him to need to rely on people other than his parents.  Subsequent photos show he went on to have a great week. 

I made a point to sit outside this week at lunch.  On Tuesday I enjoyed a yummy bowl from iQ and people watched from their patio.

I met friends for dinner on Tuesday evening.  We went to a local spot Bellona Kitchen

More outside time - this is the courtyard at First Canadian Place.

Where I enjoyed the yummiest cookie and coffee from Maman. I love their cups.

I wrote out my two favourite Richie's non-negotiables (from Season 3 of The Bear) on my board in my office.

Yesterday I shared photos of the kids' new bathroom. 

We went out for dinner with our friends on Thursday night. We had a very delicious Greek meal at Mamakas. And then we needed a walk so we went to Bandit Brewery and then home. 

Linking up with Andrea and Erika.

New Kids' Bathroom

 Today I wanted to show you the kids' new bathroom.  

We used to have just one bathroom upstairs and we all shared it.  We never loved the tile, and it also didn't have any drawers so we needed to use baskets to store our things.  

When we reconfigured the upstairs to add Q's new bedroom, we sectioned it into a smaller room, moved the window and sink.

The shower actually stayed the same size, and the toilet stayed in the same spot.  The previous owners had a bidet so the plumbing was already there for where we put the vanity. 

This is the new hallway, it used to lead into the bathroom, but now the hall continues on, up into Q's room, and the bathroom door is on the left.

We still need to get the window shade installed. 

The discerning eye may spot an X-wing in the mat.

I want to get some wallpaper for this wall above the tile, but that is a future project.

It's subtle, but the grout has a green tint matching the green tile on the floor.

It's great to have two washrooms upstairs, and drawers for the boys to keep their toothbrushes.  They need a few lessons on keeping it clean, but they aren't too bad!!

Tile - Centura Tile

Vanity and Countertop - Wayfair

Shower and Sink Fixtures - Home Depot

Light Fixture Above Sink - Wayfair

Mirror - Wayfair

Mat - Ruggable

Toilet - Home Depot