Festival of Fire

This weekend Gerwyn and I decided to have an impromptu "date night". Usually our weekends are spent running errands or doing activities during the day and then renting a movie at night. This weekend I realized the Festival of Fire was going on at Ontario Place so Gerwyn and I decided to have dinner at our usual spot along Harbourfront and then watch the fireworks from there. (A cheap way to get in on the action.) Unfortunately many others must have had the same idea as all of the restaurants along our usual strip were packed! It was a 30 minute wait everywhere we went. We finally found one right on the corner that would still give us a view of the fireworks. The show was a lot shorter than I thought, only about 20 minutes but the weather was perfect. We were able to walk there, eat dinner and watch fireworks by the water's edge and then walk home. A lovely evening out!

Happy Staggette Sally!

This weekend we celebrated the last event before the big day, Sally's staggette. We started the day with mani/pedis at Peony and then came back to the condo to 'rest up' and get ready for the big night. Its been a long time since we've gone out to "party" and I was looking forward to reliving the university party days with my best girlfriends. Gerwyn was very kind to be our chauffeur for the night and picked up all the girls to go to Wah Sing for our fav Chinese food. (I made sure to pick an outfit that would hide my food baby.) After Wah Sing we met the rest of the ladies at Grace O'Malleys for a few drinks before getting on the Limo Bus to head to the bars.

It was a great night out with some lovely ladies, thanks for all the fun and games, good to know we still got it goin' on! (We stayed out til 2 am!)

Grocery Store Goodies

I just came back from a trip to the grocery store. I have to say, grocery shopping is one of my favourite activities. Even when I was in Venezuela, I didn't have many friends or things to do but I always enjoyed a trip to the local supermarket. I love to walk the aisles and see what new products are available and what tasty treats I can buy. I really appreciate the fact that I can just buy whatever I want. I remember when I was a kid, I had to BEG to get cookies, chips or even whole wheat bread. My mom would always buy the same things and rarely did she come home with something new. (I remember when she bought the first sponge cake from Pirri's fruit market, it was sooooo good and such a treat. I still remember exactly how it tastes and the spongy texture.)

Tonight I picked up a new loaf of bread (a round "boule" from Quebec), some Spanish salami and an old fav, "la vache qui rit". My sister introduced me to this cheese, and its been a treat ever since. I forgot about it until I passed by it today. The creamy buttery goodness is so good on a cracker, toast or even a stick of celery. I also bought a carton of milk. Milk is not something I drink regularly and honestly I think the last time I had it was when I was a kid. I saw a commercial for it today on tv and ever since I just had a craving. So I poured myself a glass and I have to say, it was just as good as I remember. I think I might even drink it more often. Afterall, it does the body good...

Ribfest!

Saturday I decided to host a little ribfest of my own since it was my turn to host what's become a regular cousins dinner. The guest list included Mad and her 3 kids (Jess, Michael and Steph), Mark and Mer and their daughter Samara, Carol and a last minute guest appearance by Susie. Gerwyn "manned" the bbq and put the final crust on my Tyler Florence Ultimate bbq ribs. I also made coleslaw, green beans, cornbread and rice. Unfortunately the cornbread was a little burnt but I managed to salvage enough for everyone. After dinner we rushed downstairs (to escape the rain,) and had one of my new fav desserts (introduced to me by Sally) the Caramel Apple Pie from M&M's meat shops. Along with the pie and ice cream, Susie brought a very rich and tasty Dufflet's Chocolate cake and strawberries. Everyone stuffed themselves and we had just enough leftovers for a midnight snack later in the evening.

Looking forward to next month's dinner when its Carol's turn to host. Chocolate pavlova.... mmmmm.

Johnny Rockets!

Last night I met my cousin Hanna for a little shopping and pig out fest. Hanna is one of the best people to pig out with because she can always eat more than you. (So you never feel bad.) After using her student discount at Club Monaco (20%!) we went to Johnny Rockets beside the AMC at Dundas Square and had a major pig out fest. It was just what the doctor ordered. We had philly cheese steaks, cheeseburgers, onion rings and Strawberry milkshakes!! The milkshake and onion rings were the best part. The rings come with this tasty (and super high caloric, ultra bad for you) ranch dipping sauce. Deeeeleeecious!

I'm still on the bagel and bread kick but Sally and I have decided to start cutting back again as of June 15th which will give exactly one month until her wedding. So not going cold turkey again, but just cutting back (we'll allow ourselves treats on the weekends). Until then, I'm off to have another bagel. mmmm....

B.R.E.A.D.

Now that my diet is over I've realized how much I really missed bread. I can't get enough of it. I know I'm supposed "slowly" introduce the banned foods back in but I've decided to go full force. (Mostly because I have no restraint.) I've been eating bagels like crazy. Two a day and I actually have to stop myself from having more. I also bought one of those mini loaves and ate almost the whole thing in one day. Then there's the croissants. Mmmmm croissants. I've found I sit at my desk and think about bread. Gerwyn says I shouldn't cut things out cold turkey because this is what happens. Binge. Binge is right!

Weekend Update!

This weekend was very busy. Friday night I left work a bit early so I could get a head start on Sally's shower that I was hosting the next day. Luckily Gerwyn offered to come and help so while he chopped the fruit and veggies, I made the stuffing for my mushroom caps and prepped the sangria. Saturday morning I put him to work again schlepping all of the food down to the coffee lounge. The shower was great, very low key in fact, it felt more like just a casual get together than a shower which was nice. We played silly games, nibbled on desserts and hors d'oeuvres and made Sally guess who got her each gift. After the shower I took a loooong much needed nap and then Gerwyn and I went for a walk around the condo. Now that I'm planning to sell this place we are trying to enjoy the time we have left here. It will definitely be sad to say good bye.

Sunday I had to get up early to visit Grams. Unfortunately I was a little more tired than usual this time and when I opened my eyes after a little snooze on the train, I saw "Rouge Hill" passing me by. My heart stopped. I got off at Pickering and had to take a cab to my grandma's. Unfortunately I knew my mom was waiting for me at the stop and had no way of getting in touch with her. Just had to wait for her to figure it out. Later in the morning Hanna stopped by to take Gram's blood pressure. Of course once that blood pressure kit is out, everyone gets in line for a check up. Once I got back to my mom's I started the bbq and waited for Gerwyn to come over for lunch. After lunch and playing with Charlotte (who learned how to take a photo with my camera, hers is the shot of the carpet in my post below), we headed to Home Depot to pick up a new toilet for my mom's upstairs bathroom. After toilet delivery we headed back downtown and met some of Gerwyn's friends to watch a movie. We watched "The Hangover" which was surprisingly very funny. It was definitely a "guy's" movie but hilarious nonetheless.

Tomorrow night we're going to see a couple more houses. They are located in the Yonge and Eglinton area but a bit older so I expect they will need a little work. I can't wait until house shopping is over... I'm ready to move on!

Lunch at mom's

Sally's Wedding Shower

Dog vs. Dog