Monday 30 May 2022

Half-Birthday Celebration: SAVIO VOLPE TAKE TWO!

 My parents decided this year to take each of us kids out for our half birthday instead of doing a birthday dinner for us. They figured around our birthday is always so crazy busy with lots of celebrations, and it's nice to space it out a bit throughout the year! This works excellent for me since my birthday is in December so it's always sooo busy with gatherings.

On my 30th birthday, we tried to go to Savio Volpe with the family, but then the kitchen/chimney caught on fire before we could even get our waters we ordered. This weekend Mom & Dad took Dave and I back to Savio Volpe for take two!

Oh my goodness. So So So delicious. I love food, I love wine, and I love not having to make decisions. We ordered the chef's menu, so basically they ask about allergies/preferences, etc. and then bring you whatever the chef decides to whip up. The food came out constantly and the service was on point. I'll try to remember what each course was, but some of it wasn't on the menu so I'll probably butcher it. I'm calling them each courses because they basically came out on their own for the most part. Really it was more like 5 courses total. Appetizer, Salad, Pasta, Entree (meat), Dessert

Extra aware of the fire safety hookups this time around haha!

I swear every time I took a sip the waiter topped me back up. Now THAT is wine service! :)

After dinner, enjoying our Amaretto

What we ate and drank: 

White Wine: Ciu Ciu Oris Falerio Marche, Pecorino, Passerina, Trebbiano '20 (10/10 delicious. Haven't figured out where we can buy it yet, but I definitely would!)

Red Wine: Fattoria Rodano Chianti Classico Tuscany, Sangiovese '18 (I was considering buying a bottle of this for myself until I realized it's $36 at Everything Wine. Whew! Not in my budget!)

Course #1: Burrata, agrodolce rhubarb, pickled spruce tips, intosso olive oil, carte di musica crackers. 

Course #2: Garlic Knots, pecorino romano, pepe nero (SO much butter. Did not get a picture of these as they were gone before we knew it)

Course #3: Glorious spring greens, elderflower, marcona almonds, piave (Also forgot to get a picture of this, but it was beautiful and delicious)

Course #4: Farro, burnt citrus, smoked ricotta, spinach, hazelnuts

Course #5: Halibut croquettes with dill (can you tell this wasn't on the menu? Haha pathetic description) 


Course #6: Some sort of Ravioli with a sauce that was to die for. They had multi-coloured celery which was sweet!

Oops. Almost forgot photo!

Course #7: Linguini with buttery chili and prawns. 

Good thing Mom got one of the Linguini!

Course #8: Rocana pork chop, swiss chard, currants, pickled morels, sage (I have never had pork this good in my life. We were literally licking the plate)

Served with: Rainbow carrots, rosemary, marcona almonds, honey

Sorry pork, you didn't get a photo to do you justice!

Also served with: Sieglinde potatoes, spiced proscuitto vinaigrette, castelvetrano olives. (I think this is what it was... definitely had proscuitto. Though I don't recall olives. Maybe they were sneaky about them!)

Course #9: Rainbow trout. This was out of my comfort zone, but that was sort of the point of giving the chef control. It was very tender and a nice light finish to the heavier parts of the meal. 

Dessert #1: Tiramisu cake

Dessert #2: White chocolate cake with flowers? Definitely wasn't my favourite. Tasted very flowery. Dad loved it as it brought him back to his childhood eating Thrillz(?) Some sort of soap-flavoured gum. 

Digestivo: No. 82 Amaretto (Mom & Dad then bought 4 bottles of it on the way home haha. It was so yummy!)

Dinner was incredible, and it was soooo nice to hang out and chat with Mom & Dad without all the interruptions and rush there usually is with a dinner visit with kids and having to get home for bedtime, etc. etc. We'll have to try to do that a bit more often. 

THANK YOU THANK YOU!! <3

Thursday 26 May 2022

Thankful Thursday - 294 (Spring/Cactus Club/Empath/Food with Family/Hamilton)

Okay so really this post is just a life update of my last week because apparently I just don't have time to blog throughout the week anymore. However, I do have a lot to be thankful for so it can still be Thankful Thursday!

Last Friday morning I took the big kids to Costco while Eva napped and I FINALLY got the Costco pop-up beach tent thing. I've wanted one since Dom was a baby, but always procrastinated and missed it. They happened to be on sale last week so I snatched one up for like $50. After Eva's nap I took the kids for a playdate with Marta and Owen. It was perfection. The sun was shining, the kids were playing in the tent and on the grass... Marta and I had lunch together while sittervising the kids. 





This resembles a sport! Dom is hooked

That evening Dave was out playing basketball. I got the kids ready for bed and let them watch an episode of Lego Star Wars. Best Mom Ever according to them. Then I spent the evening watching a show and relaxing all by my lonesome. 


A super strange storm cloud rolled through but it sure made for a beautiful sunset.

I have a thing about these big helium balloons where I like to keep them until they die completely. This one was at half-mast on Friday night. It hovered up the stairs and into our room where Sherlock stared at it very intently haha.

Saturday was another beautiful day. FINALLY! SPRING TIME! I sat in the sun in the morning, Eva played at the water table, and then we even brought out the sprinkler in the afternoon. I sat in our new tent and watched the kids get soaked. 



Hard to see the sprinkler here. Dom is trying to use one of the little hoses to spray Sherlock. Sherlock was ALL in.

In the evening I met Janine at Cactus Club where we caught up and chatted for hours. We both took an Uber home, so we could just relax and eat/drink what we wanted and chat for as long as we wanted. As we were getting ready to go (like 11:45pm) a random woman came up to me and said, "Sorry. I don't normally do this, but I just really needed to talk to you." I'm like... mmm... okay. Not my favourite thing in the world. Here's how the conversation went:

Lady: I'm an intuitive. How old are you?
Me: Well how old do you think I am?
Lady: That's not how it works. How old are you?
Me: 30.
Lady: How do you feel about having children?
Me: I already have 3 so I think I'm good thanks. 
Lady (softly): Oh... *touches my shoulder*... you have 4. 
Me: 
Lady: You won't test positive tonight, but next week you will. You're having a baby! I've been watching you all night and your whole aura was just glowing. You have this suuuper thick *gestures with hands* blue-green aura. You're just exhuding motherly vibes and I just had to come and tell you. Again, I don't normally do this, but I am so sure I couldn't just let it be.
Janine: She's just a really good person.
Me: Are you sure it's not 'you have a 13 month old at home and are in the thick of it' vibes?
Lady: Oh no haha! I don't have a 13 month old! I'm 62!
Me: Well not you... me... anyway. 
Lady: Well... congratulations. You're having a baby. This is so exciting. You should be so excited. *Leaves*

Pardon my french, but What. the actual. fuck. 

I cannot even begin to explain how inappropriate this was. For me, personally, I've always wanted 4 kids, but just came to peace with the fact that I am going to stop at 3 like 2 months ago. I am finally feeling confident and at peace and then this lady comes in and messes with my head. No, I do not believe there is any merit to the things she said. I'm not remotely educated in intuitive/empath/energy-reading, etc. However, it messed with my head the whole next day. I cannot wrap my head around why she would do that. She did not present as intoxicated either. Just inappropriate. 

Secondly, what if it was someone else. What if I was someone who had just had a miscarriage. What if I was someone who was struggling with infertility. What if I was someone who had been recently sexually assaulted. So. Inappropriate. Keep your weird intuitive visions to yourself. Especially when it is so potentially (likely) triggering for people. 

Anyway... I'm not trying to say intuitives/empaths don't exist or that there's no merit, but this is my first experience with someone making these claims and it was not a good one. I'll keep myself closed off thank you. 

Janine and I failed to take a single picture at Cactus... We suck at that. 

Sunday. Gorgeous again! In the afternoon we had Rachel, Kyle and Rebecca over for dinner and a movie. They put Rebecca down in our room and then the 4 of us adults watched Hamilton in the theatre. I'm hooked. SO GOOD! I've been listening to the sound track nonstop. Dave is also totally hooked. Hip Hop musical? Absolutely. 




Holiday Monday! I'd been feeling kind of burnt out from all the social things in the last week, so Dave took all 3 kids to Jeff & Marta's at around noon. I spent the next two hours walking the dog, folding laundry, and listening to the Hamilton soundtrack through my headphones the entire time. We need to make this happen more often! Where I'm at home all alone. It's a more organic way for me to recharge than going upstairs and locking myself in my room haha. 

At around 2pm Marta picked me up and brought me over to their house to meet up with everyone. Dave went out for a bit, Jeff & Adam went for a bike ride, the big kids watched some Thomas, and all 3 babies were napping. I got to sit outside with Marta and a beer and reeeeeelax.
Mom & Dad came by later on and we had gourmet burgers for dinner. We had a little fuzzy visitor while we were playing in the yard and prepping dinner. It turns out this racoon had been living in their neighbour's roof, but his home had just been closed off to day so he was very displaced. Why are racoons so cute? 



I spy a little bandit!



Tuesday Dom & Emilia were in preschool and it was a bit of a recovery day for me. I did spin on my own in the morning and it was just okay. My body was feeling more tired than usual so I couldn't/didn't push myself as hard. Hopefully Friday will be better!

Wednesday I was at work in the morning, then had a meeting in the afternoon. Dave had a shoot in there somewhere, and right after my meeting we all packed up and went to Mom & Dad's for dinner. It's very relaxing going there because Dom just plays Playmobil hockey the whole time, Emilia kind of wanders around playing, reading books, cuddling, etc. Eva is much more comfortable and confident there since Mom has watched her while I work a few times. Eva actually ate meat which is a very rare occurrence so that was exciting!

We came home, got the kids to bed, and then went to watch the Survivor Finale with Kirsten. Was a fun watch!

Pulled out a photo album at Mom & Dad's and did a double take because of how much I look like Eva here!


Did another double take realizing how much Dom looks like his Uncle Jeff!

So Dom. Just different ears and hair. Same posture, smile, etc. 



Oh ya! On Sunday we also bathed the dog and I groomed him. I also washed the entire couch with the carpet cleaner. Our house smells so fresh! Sherlock also looks so handsome and is EXTRA soft :)

Thursday 19 May 2022

Thankful Thursday - 293

 I have to be careful and pay attention to my mental health these days! Heading straight toward a burnout!

This week I am thankful for...

1. Bobo Moma's 91! Last weekend we got to celebrate with Oma, some of my Uncles and Aunts and cousins and nephews and niece! Oma smiled lots and seemed to understand some of what was going on. When I said, "Wow! It's your 91st birthday!" she commented something about not knowing what time the party was supposed to be at and feeling annoyed about that. I reminded her it was right now :)

Wheels asked if I could curl her hair and do her makeup. Sure hon... *tears*


I hope she always feels as beautiful and confident as she did this day



Dom spent 90% of the time outside playing golf like Happy Gilmore.


Ash and I thought to bring some toys for the kids. We live and learn! Haha


Eva and Phoebe with their matching hairstyles <3






We lost Dom for a bit and found him making Elim friends hahaha. Anything that resembles a sport and he's in! Always making friends.

Eva composing some spooky tunes on the organ

The picture gradually gets less chaotic as you go from left to right haha


2. Eva's developing language. I love the 0-12 month stage because (for me... because my baby slept) I find it relatively easy. I get breaks. Baby is sleeping so much of the time. I have been feeling a bit worn down at the lack of breaks and extra attention required with Eva's stage, but now she's starting to talk and it's adoooorable. She's earlier than the other two kids were, probably because she hears them talk alllll dayyyyy longggggg. Every day it's a new word or two, or a new animal sound, or some fun new skill. This is what the whole 1-2 year is! Kind of excited that I get to be home for much of it to watch her grow. 






Could it be?! Is there some Mommy resemblance? 

I was 2 in this picture, but I feel like I can see some Eva in there! Also (sorry Dave), Dom is SO Jeff!

3. Dinner with Oma. Between our crazy life and Oma's crazy work life right now we haven't seen them much! However we went there for dinner last Friday and it was one of the rare beautiful days. I went early and sat on the patio in the sun with a glass of Rose while Eva had her second nap. Glorious. 




Accidental matching

Dom went home in Dave's car and Emilia got such a kick out of Sherlock taking liberties and sitting in Dom's booster on the way home

4. Margarita night. Ash and I were planning to have a girls night, but then Scott, Dave and Wes crashed it. We played some poker and rockband, and had margaritas! Ahh... this is what being a grown up is all about haha. Pretending you're not a grown up!

5. Core memories. I realized the other day that I have some core memories from when I was 4 or 5, and that Dom & Emilia could absolutely be making those right now. So strange to think that 25 years from now they could be talking about this moment, on this day. I don't know for sure what a core memory will be, but there are a few guesses I have. One is our Whistler trip last summer. We went for 4 nights with just Dave, Eva and I while the kids stayed at my parents, and then they joined us for 2 nights. They talk about this many many times per week. Both parts of that trip. 

I hope his super rainy day soccer becomes a core memory. Maybe not this day in particular, but he better remember this! Haha

I can absolutely see him and Emilia talking in 20+ years about how they used to play hockey in the living room with oven mitts. My brothers and I still talk about handball hockey and Beanie Baby Wars and all those weird games we played as kids.

"Remember when we used to take the cushions off the couch and act out the battles during the Mulan audiobook?"

"Remember when we got to watch movies in Dad's theatre?"

6. Playdate with O. We met up with Marta and Owen at the library this week and then went to the park for a bit and walked to Clayton Park so Dom could show Aunty Marta where he plays soccer.

Emilia felt like she couldn't continue so Dom held her hand to help her along <3

Stay awake little man!

7. Another school field trip! I took them to the Honeybee Centre with preschool this week and I actually learned a lot. They had fun and felt very special telling their friends that we live so close we could have walked! 


Dom... the guy that is very confident and answers every question with said confidence. Confident... not right. Haha


They got to plant some seeds in a little pot

D was a very helpful big brother. It's interesting to watch how he nurtures and cares for Emilia in the class setting.


Dom sat down at the Lego and attracted a crowd.


And I leave off with this sentiment. 
Life is like an avocado. You never know what you're gonna get.