Weekending...3 days late

From the City...

Where to start, where to start.  So much seems to be taking place around here these days.  Being back at work has thrown a wrench into our life right now.  Theo has made the transition pretty flawlessly and seems to be really benefiting from his Pa time, I guess you can say it's the mama in the equation who's having the harder time adjusting.  

Which bring us to our first pic, our green heart to heart sling which saved us when Theo was brand new and again seems to be making a comeback.  We do lots of babywearing right now. 

Since the library just reopened, we've been having some good playtime there on my morning off.  you can guarantee some new friends will come along, some good stacks of books to pull from the shelves and some new magazines for the mama to get caught up on.

We also had some family visits on the weekend with our Deedee (grandma), aunties and uncles and some serious plays with cousin Finn and Everly.   

amelia

weekending

From the City..

A nice weekend here in the city.  

Mouth watering ribs slow cooked all day in the crock pot and then barbecued for 10 minutes with some homemade sauce.

We bought Theo a ball and he literally carried it around all day including when we went for a walk where he insisted on taking it in his stroller and holding it the whole time.

The new rice dish Simon and I are addicted to.  From this cookbook.

We had some mean card games when our friend Andrew visited.

cold beer, enough said.

Linking up with Amanda from The Habit of Being.

-amelia

First Birthday Success.

From the City...

photo credit: Megan Ward

Well I just might think we nailed this first birthday business.  

After the pink eye fiasco I was planning on just cancelling the party altogether but the girls at work convinced me that a first birthday party is a pretty big and special one. Especially when it's for the first baby of the fam and so we sucked it up and we did it.  Simon did all the grocery shopping and cleaning and I did all the cooking and somehow it came together as a pretty great celebration.  

Just a few friends and fam (10 people in total), definitely not the event it was going to be rather a much smaller, more intimate affair.  

Deep down I am so so glad that we celebrated this little meatballs special day with some really good people and some really good food.  

Cake recipe here (which we doubled)

Icing recipe here 

Pizza dough recipe here 

***I highly recommend all three.   

-amelia

An Entire Post Dedicated to Yarn

From the City...

 Laura was in the city last night on the hunt for some good yarn for a sweater for Millie Mae.  So we found ourselves at Lettuce Knit for an hour looking at yarn, talking about yarn, touching yarn (you get the picture).  Look at the concentration in her face. ..."must find perfect yarn, must find perfect yarn..."

 This colour is just plain lovely.  I'm a sucker for the oranges.

 The earth tones.

 Baskets upon baskets.

 Heavenly.  That purple is divine.

Add these to my christmas list.  Handmade shawl pins.  I first saw them and salivated over them at Soulemama's blog but now to find them at my own yarn shop, well, that's just not fair.

I really like Lettuce Knit because its just really cozy on the inside.  It's exactly what a yarn store, in my mind, should look like.  Kind of like unorganized chaos, which to me, really is the best kind.  Books of patterns piled high, baskets of mix and matched yarn, bowl of buttons, vintage couches and and an old wood table with mismatched chairs.  

oh and of course, a buzz of creativeness that you can just feel when you walk in.  

86 Nassau St. 

Kensington Market

Toronto.  

Life's a Beach

From the City...

Scarborough bluffs. A mere 30 minutes from our house. White sand beach. Hot summer sun. Sand in little baby rolls. Reading books. Pasta salad. Ice cold water.

best. day. ever.

Hot Child in the City...

From the City...

We just got home from the farm yesterday and the city is a smolderin. So so hot. We've been sitting around our apartment in our underwear for most of the day and Theo diaperless, enjoying the cool fan breeze on his buns. Aside from the puddles of pee, it's a pretty lovely way to spend a hot day.

The visit at the farm was great, as usual. Laura and I took all of the babies and kids to fireworks on Friday and while Laura was at market, I hung out with the kids and we puttered around the farm. Sunday was french toast and watching the kids run through the sprinkler.

A pretty good start to the summer.

Fish Sandwich

From the City (temporarily in a small town)...

Yes please, don't mind if I do.... (tilapia sandwich)

Here's a review and some even better pics. If you're in T.O and itchin for a fish sandwich (burrito, burger, pizza, salad) you should probably go.

p.s we're having a heat wave right now. I think it was 34 today. My clothes are sticking to me.

Finally the home to farm fair!

From the City...

Well two weeks ago now (shesh, slacking on the blogging) Laura and I helped in the kids room at Slow Food's annual Farm to Home Fair. It was another great slow food event with lots of good food, people and information for those interested in supporting local.

We also used the event as an opportunity to promote our blog by handing out little bags of goodies including basil seedlings and seed potatoes.

...a little fun in the kid's room! I didn't manage to get a good pic of it but Laura and I had brought in a couple bags of soil, some shovels, toy tractors, assorted plastic pigs and cows and a handful of beans and potatoes for the kids to 'plant'. It was pretty fun.

...deliciously beautiful bowls of goodness.

...Our friends from KEG were also there doing a maple syrup tasting as well as giving information on their very popular (rated number 1 by Toronto Life Readers 2009) CSA box, which Simon and I are so excited to be taking part in this summer!

...music was provided by the super talented Toronto band, The Strumbellas who fit the venue and the crowd perfectly (photo credit: Megan Ward).

All in all it was a pretty great way to spend a Saturday right here in the city...