Rainy Saturday

Last night the thunder was so loud it woke me up and today it rained and rained! I went to a super relaxing post-natal yoga class and when I came home, Calvin had dressed Gus up in the cutest outfit! I was dying! He's wearing his new shoes that our friend Shona mailed from Scotland:

Since he was all dressed up we decided to go out for lunch and we hit up the new pizza place in Sandy that is actually really really good. It's called Pizzeria Limone. 

Here's Calvin's pie:

Me and Gus:

Then we tried the new (to us??) Bubble Tea place practically next door. I ordered the almond but the owner said her favourite combo is almond/avocado/vanilla bean. So I had to try it. And it is now my favourite (in Utah anyway:) 

And a few more pictures of Gus:

Food lately...:)

Utah peaches are beyond delicious. Was planning to bake with our spoils from the Salt Lake Farmer's Market but realized fresh peaches in cream would be the best way to eat them! Here are the peaches on their own...

And here are the peaches drenched in cream and whole milk, sweetened with stevia.

My in-laws make an amazing tortilla soup with homemade chicken stock and it's Calvin's favourite meal. I didn't make tortilla soup yesterday but I was inspired to make chicken stock.

We ate it with cucumbers on the side and fresh melon afterward. Had to take a picture because the light green made it feel like a spa:) Ha! Now normally I don't like honeydew. It is always used as filler in store bought fruit salads. But a fresh local melon, chilled, sliced and eaten immediately is hard to beat! Also, next time you have some, squeeze fresh lime juice in homemade chicken stock- it's delicious!!

Then today I made some homemade pizza dough (the whole wheat variety from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen cook book) and it turned out nice and thin and crispy.

Book Review: "The Procrastination Equation" by Piers Steel

Confession: Once in grade twelve I put off completing (maybe even starting??) a History paper by reading an 800 or so page biography of Florence Nightingale. It was a VERY moving book (that had nothing to do with my assignment) but it caused me a lot of anxiety and trouble due to the fact that it took me weeks (maybe months?) to finally get my paper in. It did not take me long at all to read the biography but the fact that my paper was already late made it harder to even work on it. Sorry Mr. Lindahl! Ha! How I still managed to be the Valedictorian of my graduating class is a mystery (to Calvin) but like I said in my speech, that year it was based on looks. But seriously now folks, my English teacher that same year told us once in class that she used to have a problem with procrastinating but then she read a book about it and stopped. She made it sound so easy! And I really liked her as a teacher. I vowed to follow her lead. So fourteen years later, I have finally followed through on that commitment:)

This is why I love the children's book: "Leo the late Bloomer" by Robert Kraus. Its about a tiger that couldn't do anything right until finally one day he blooms! Once I labeled myself a "late bloomer" I stopped feeling quite so bad about my awkward teenage years:) And awkward years in general. We all have had those years, as my friend Sarah would say, those years before we knew to pluck our eyebrows.

Back to procrastination. Piers Steel is a real gem. He writes with authority and humour. He acknowledges the reading of his book is probably an act of procrastination in and of itself. He explains why procrastinating is the natural human way and what we can do to overcome it. I love him for his hatred of the book "The Secret" (sorry friends who love that book!) and I love how he gets specific with what to do. For example, make Approach Goals, i.e. start early rather than Avoidance Goals i.e. Don't begin late. The book has seriously changed how I house clean, make lunches, get the garbage out on time and renew library books! (No more embarrassingly high late fees!! :) It has also helped me actually write a little more. Writing is one of the greatest things to procrastinate, inspiring all types of cleaning and bouts of de-hoarder-izing one's home. Which are good activities but when you want to write- they get in the way. Anyway, it was, not to be too dramatic, a life-changing read for me. To any fellow procrastinators out there, get the book!

Photo from "Leo the Late Bloomer"

Dr. Calvin!!

Today I had my teeth cleaned by Calvin at Roseman University in South Jordan, Utah. It was really cool to see him in action:) And he did a great job, he was gentle and open to my feedback haha! My teeth feel so clean. I love that after dentist clean feeling. Who's with me?  

There's a pretty nice view from his chair:

So anybody in Utah looking for super affordable dental care : you should set up an appt with him! (all procedures are 50% cheaper or more through the school than a regular dentist) Check it out: http://rosemandental.com/ ! 

Book Review: "Tolstoy and the Purple Chair- My Year of Magical Reading" by Nina Sankovitch

I enjoyed this book- though it read more like a blog to me, which shouldn't be a surprise since it began as a blog. It is a memoir of a woman who spent a year reading a book every single day in an attempt to deal with the grief she felt after her sister's death. She is a passionate reader and believer in the healing power of literature. 

Some highlights for me include the story below about a young Ukrainian girl and her pure love for her mother, the most beautiful woman in the world...( P 8)

Here are some quotes that stood out to me:

...from a magazine on how to choose a book to read: "be serious, earnest, sincere in your choice of books, and then put your trust in Providence and read with an easy mind." (P 161)

This quote is in response to being told that nothing in the world matters except Love: "a banking account, sound teeth, and adequate servants matter a great deal more." (P 130- quote is from the Provincial Lady in London by E.M. Delafield)

A quote I liked from page191: 

" I realized it was my decision whether I would interpret the ending as unjust and unsatisfactory and suffer because of it or decided that this, and only this, was the fitting ending." (Taken from Self's Murder by Bernard Schlink) 

And a final quote from Tolstoy himself, "the sole meaning of life is to serve humanity." 

All in all- a satisfying and inspiring read. It has added to my list of books I want to read- the top of that list is "the Forged Coupon" by Leo Tolstoy

The author has a website called: ReadAllDay.org if you are curious about her voracious reading!

French apple tart with an infant by your side

A few nights ago I was hosting a book club social and decided to make this recipe I saw on A Cup of Jo. 

First things first: I poured myself a nice cold glass of diet Pepsi with cherry (even though I hate pop!!) because I'm exhausted from getting up with a baby all night:)

Next: I got excited to try my new scale that Calvin's brother gave us for Christmas last year. It made me feel extra French to not have to Google how much flour, in cups, the recipe called for.

Making pastry always reminds me of my days working at Savary Island Pie Company in West  Van.  My best advice for people intimidated by making pastry is- do not fear the pastry! Believe in it- don't over mix it and get excited for how much better it tastes than store bought crusts. But don't be too good for store bought crusts if you're in a rush:) 

I skipped chilling the dough because who has time for that? It might be better chilled but I'll never know the difference.

Let baby boy try some apple while you work:)

Arrange the apples.

I felt very righteous seeing my tools washed and drying while the tart baked so I had to take a photo.

Pulled it out before burning the top too badly. Broiling is SO tough, especially when baby boy gets sad. But still- I think it's a very pretty dessert and with only 3 Tablespoons of sugar in the recipe, it's really not too sweet. 

I also baked a little tart with the leftover pastry and apples so Calvin and I could have some before guests arrived. Sorry these next two photos are blurry:)

I bet you could substitute any in season fruit in this recipe and have a very elegant looking dessert. Was fun to test it out! Plums would be really nice and tart. 

Currently reading...

These two books in conjunction:

Ha ha ha! And Calvin is teasing me, just a little bit. But seriously, I've never felt more motivated to not procrastinate while simultaneously feeling less bad about the procrastinating I've done in the past. I recommend this combo for any fellow procrastinators out there. 

"Tolstoy and the purple chair" by Nina Sankovitch

Been reading and thumbing through this book since I picked it up at the library yesterday. The last sentence of this quote  really struck me. I love dramatic descriptions like this! 

Gus wears shoes!

Movies to watch when you feel a little blue if you're...me. Or a list of movies I like so I can stop asking Calvin to remind me what I like.

Begin Again

Admission

A Room With a View

Adaptation

Moonstruck

Groundhog's Day

Friends with Money (NOT Friends with Benefits)

Paris Je T'aime

Happy Go Lucky

Another Year

Enough Said

Not listing movies to not watch after you have a baby because you'll cry imagining the evil character's as once being someone's baby because I'm gonna keep this blog all about the pos!

Something new every day

My friend who used to work as a therapist with mothers and small children told me that infants learn some new skill every day. Ever since I've been noticing all these things Gus does that he couldn't do yesterday or last week! It's amazing! This morning, after trying on this sailor suit his aunt Nita bought him (vintage...from the D.I.:) I left the living room while he was playing with a toy. When I came back in the room, he had rolled quite a ways and was holding this plastic magic bullet cup Calvin had left on the floor (sorry Calvin:) and was trying to drink out of it. My baby is growing too fast!!!  

But then later today I remembered he still can't crawl or walk and I want to cherish this baby stage because it is flying by!

Isn't this the ultimate baby pose? 

Toronto Summer 2014

I applied for Gus' passport shortly after he was born so we could get to Canada as soon as possible for a visit. His first flight was an international one, so he is to be commended on that. He did so well on the plane- I was so relieved. This trip was the first plane ride in an epic summer of travel and I have to say, he was an excellent sport with all the jet-lag and long hours. Well done Gus Gus! We went to visit my mom and Lindsay and Maddie (and Gertie) and of course were thrilled to see lots of good friends while we were at it. I felt so nostalgic for the days that I lived in Leslieville! Wish I had pictures of everyone we saw while were there but these will have to do:)

Below is Gus on his first flight!

Below is Gus with his aunt Pooch and cousin Mads...

Below Miss Madds is drawing a picture of her uncle Calvin as a clown. See how he's juggling?

Meeting my beautiful friend and former colleague Cindy at Lee Anne's place! Why don't I have a picture of him with Lee Anne??

Gus and Grandma with her broken leg

Gus with the lovely Briony followed by Gus with the lovely Sarah

View of my sister being a mom! (putting little shoes on little feet)

Photos of marms' place

Just some of the delicious food we ate. Homemade fresh pita bread with roasted veggies and falafel. Too good!

And of course, it was so wonderful to catch up with dear Lindsay B!

Not pictured: wonderful Beaches ward friends, Ariane and Ellery!, the Danforth and much more. Was so nice to be home in Toronto for a while. Thanks for treating me and Gus so well.