Wednesday, June 24, 2020

What's up Wednesday- June 2020


, What’s Up Wednesday {04.29.20}

Yes to June! Warm weather, kids finishing school, family fun and a whole lot of nothingness in the near future.


What we're eating this week:

Eating healthy-ish... 

Monday: asparagus, shrimp/crab cakes and a nectarine/basil mozzarella salad. And pasta for the kids

Tuesday: chicken, stuffed mushrooms, zucchini fries and cauliflower salad

Wednesday: turkey wings and salad

Thursday: veggie burgers

Friday: my kids want Wendy's for the last day of school. I'll figure out something for myself. 

Weekends will be time on the grill, some tacos and maybe one set of takeout


Pictured: home made poke from last Friday--- it was so delicious!




What I'm reminiscing about:

Summers that were packed. A part of me is looking forward to a quiet, productive but lazy summer at home but another part....


What I'm dreading:

These days I have FOGO (Fear of Going Out) and FOMO all combined into one as so many people go back to a somewhat normal life. It's a tricky one for sure hahaha! 


What I'm loving:

My garden is slowly showing up for me and I'm here for it!!






What we've been up to

Finishing up our school year... at home! This has been a year for my kids, that's for sure. I'll provide an end of year synopsis really soon. 



What I'm working on

Back yard stuff. We gutted the hot tub (we got it with the house as-is and it was unfixable). Now we are rethinking the backyard and wanting a little bit of a refresh. 


What I'm excited about

We are eating a lot of farm to table these days. Between a weekly delivery of a CSA box from Thames River Melons and specials at a local grocery, the quality of the produce is really exquisite and it's making us experiment with different things like baby beets and baby zucchini (I made fries out of them in the air fryer). 


What I'm watching/reading

Our family is getting into both America's Got Talent and World of Dance. 


Re: reading, our local library has opened for pickups only and I have a bunch of stuff to read... All beachy, summer stuff. I also just finished the latest Elin Hilderbrand and Emily Giffin books... both of which were page-turners. 


What I'm listening to:

Podcasts during my walks and runs. 


What I'm wearing:

Summer gear and Gym wear. My very fave F45 has started outdoor boot camps so I've been going to a few. 8 people per class, spaced very far apart with the instructors. Also, my friends and I have been going for long, socially distant walks--- good to squeeze a workout in and also for the soul. 




What I'm doing this weekend

Same as the last few weekends. We might have some family friends over for some takeout and pool time but we're not sure yet. We haven't had people over since March with the exception of a couple neighbours outside for a BYOB. It will be a new undertaking and entertaining is not as it was before....


What else is new:

Father's Day was filled with lots of outdoor time for this guy! A picnic by the river, walks, sushi and lots of sunshine








This girl takes her Kindle everywhere...











Have a great week, friends!



 Linking up with  Shay and Shaeffer








Friday, June 19, 2020

Friday Favourites

Yay for the weekend and the second to last week of school. We are DONE over here-- figuratively and mentally!!! Here are a few favourites from the last couple weeks...

1- My eleven year old is done with violin lessons for the school year. Her teacher asked if they could do a socially distant recital and we invited a few neighbours to listen in. It was such a nice way to spend a Sunday morning and my big girl played her heart out for about 20 minutes. You can get a sneak peek if you check out my Instagram.

                                       


2- We have been getting a market box from one of the vendors in St Jacobs Market since farmers' markets are really suffering right now. The quality of this local produce is so stellar and it feels so good to be eating in season  and totally  random stuff. 

Like garlic scapes which are amazingly delicious on the grill--- think of a really a tender asparagus with a garlicky flavour.


                                


We have been doing everything with rhubarb but painting our walls with them! Loafs, crisps, muffins... yes please!!

And yesterday we got a huge amount of strawberries so we made some very delicious strawberry oat muffins ... 




3- Another obsession is black cod or sablefish. I always order black cod when I see it on the menu at a nice restaurant. When I saw it at our local grocery, I picked up a box and it did not disappoint. 

Served here in a garlic hoisin sauce with cauli-rice and kale

4- Our veggies are making process... we planted a bunch of different veggies, fruit and herbs. So far, we have a few strawberries daily (it wasn't the brightest idea to plant them in a pot so close to the birdfeeder) and lots of fresh herbs to marinade our veggies and protein with. We should be getting kale and swiss chard but our groundhog has been munching on them instead. 



6- We did a virtual escape room with some family the other night and it was soooo much fun!!


7- Of course I had to celebrate National Rose Day...


7- I made some freshly squeezed juice for A the other day and now she is obsessed. My kitchen floors have never been more sticky!!


8- Peonies are my very favourite. These bush peonies are almost done in my yard but my neighbours' regular ones aren't... #freebouquets



9- Pool days are the best days. Also, when did this kid get so big?



Have a wonderful Friday and a marvellous Father's Day weekend. Special shout out to my very own dad and my very special D!! Spoil those dads, friends!!

Linking up with Andrea. 





Sunday, June 7, 2020

Not just a mom- fun facts!

Hey lovelies. Today's Not Just a Mom link-up that I cohost with AdrienneLaurenAshley and Dara. is about fun facts-- about me :-). I borrowed from an old post and added/amended several of these!!

                                       



  • I was born in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean
  • I had never seen Canada before deciding to move here
  • I cannot be easily surprised. In fact, only my 21st party thrown by my best friend and my baby shower have surprised me
  • I had spinal fusion surgery when I was 14 to correct a severe case of idiopathic scoliosis. Because of this, I have a steel rod in my upper back... D says that I really am a woman of steel hehehe. 
  • I am a creature of routine especially with my kids and especially during the week
  • My favourite colour for walls is a grey-white (this changed from the last time I did this. It was light blue)
  • I am better at saying no than I used to be
  • I save my emails and texts- especially the sentimental ones
  • I love chocolate--- when I check the menu for dessert, I usually gravitate towards the most chocolatey item
  • I was a very skinny kid. Oh to have that metabolism again! But then again, I was also quite the picky eater and now I clean my plate... and sometimes my kids' plates ha!
  • I love a to-do list and make one almost every day. My little one loves a list too.
  • My favourite herb in the whole world is culantro--- but as I can't get it easily in Canada, it's cilantro instead.
  • I can touch the tip of my tongue to my nose.
  • I really learnt to cook after I got married-- I'm a quick study!
  • I believe there is inherent good in everyone. 
  • I cannot ice-skate- never learnt in hot TNT and now because of my back I can't learn. Also, I never learnt to ride a bike (don't judge me.... it took a lot of courage to put that here!)
  • My two most favourite vacations so far were Italy (pre-kids) and Turks & Caicos (post-kids). I hope to go back to both these places
  • Though wine is my drink of choice, I love a really good, really dirty martini
  • I love my sleep. I can't operate on too little sleep- I try to get between seven and eight hours every night. The blue light from my iPad affects my sleep I know though!
  • Appetizers are my favourite! That way I can taste many different things!
  • I don't like clutter but at the same time don't like totally sterile surfaces--- a little bit of stuff is good 
  • Exercise is so necessary for my mental health... so is fresh air. 
  • My favourite scents are jasmine, lilac and vanilla. 
  • I laugh lots but no one makes me laugh more than D. 
  • I make a really, really big deal about birthdays! Just ask my family!
  • My language of love is words of affirmation--- maybe that's why I've been blogging for more than 7 years.


  •               

    If you want to link up in future months, we'd love to have you! Here's the list!

    Now it's your turn to link up.... just grab our graphic, link back to one or more of us and join the fun :-)


    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

    Tuesday, June 2, 2020

    Currently and Prime Lately

    So much tragedy going on in the world right now, so much we need to not ignore, be mindful of, teach and really just do better... all of us in our own ways in our little parts of the world. Be brave and prayerful, all!

    Not a smooth transition really but coming in for a little Currently with Anne. 

    Feeling: pretty okay. We've adapted to this new normal and honestly, there are some lovely things to appreciate. I mean yeah, it would be great to get together with people and go shopping but eventually...


    In the meantime, we do a pretty good time being social at home and virtually.


    Wearing: sunscreen... lots of it... Need to replenish over here.

    We have been spending so much time outdoors...

    Craving: sushi... so that's what we did last weekend after a few months. So delicious. 



    Discussing: all things COVID still and now all that's been going on in the US. My heart hurts for my American family and friends. 

    Buying: Groceries with curbside pickup or free home delivery. After not buying too much for the first month or so as we were scared of packages coming in (for the most part I just nudge them with my foot into the house), packages are an even bigger part of life now that they are saying that surfaces are less of a risk than airborne. 

    Here's what we've been priming lately.  

    A moisture meter to measure if some of the soil  for both indoor or outdoor plants need a bit more moisture. This gardening thing is complicated. 


    SwimWays Toypedo Bandits Pool Diving Toys - Sinking Torpedo Swim Toys - Pack of 4, Colors Vary,  (12298)


    These tiny diving toys are a huge hit around here with these kids.


    My mom gifted D this air fryer for his birthday, and so far, we love it... I just did some turkey meatballs and some croquettes for the kids but they were delicious! Next stop, air fried chicken!!I need to start researching some more recipes! 


    This handwriting paper for the little ones who need a little help with shaping those letters :)


    D was getting tired of the narrow openings of the Thermos lunch container so we got this mini warmer for the days that he goes into work. He's left the device in work and just brings the inner container home. 



    The Ipad cases from Amazon are waaay cheaper and just as good quality (IMO) as the ones from Apple. 



    We have been doing family artwork recently and our Sharpies were running out. Another great Amazon product offering at a great price that should last until quarantine is over.... I think... especially since I accidentally ordered two packs. 


    C loves her Fitbit ace 2 for kids-- now if she can only find the charger!

    And that's we've been priming lately. Linking up with Tanya. 

    Hang in there, friends!



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