10 on Tuesday

1)  Our patio is getting so much use this summer!  We sit outside most evenings, basically all weekend when we're home, and I spend a good part of every afternoon reading in the yard.

Our outdoor meals lately have included rack of lamb:

Beer butt chicken (with fennel, mushrooms, and carrot):

And snacks!

2)  Speaking of snacks, Christopher recreated one of his favourite treats from the resort we love in Mexico.  It's not my idea of a yummy snack, but he just loves his anchovies in vinegar, and ate this dish all to himself on the weekend.

3)  We've really been enjoying President's Choice Cold Brew Coffee.  It's good over ice with a bit of half and half, or in a smoothie!  On the weekend we made smoothies with cold brew, banana, dates, almond milk and coconut milk.

4)  Over the past few days I've made three loaves of bread ... I can't stop.

It's chewy and addictive, and I think we're in trouble #carbloading

5)  When Christopher came home for lunch on Friday we had a yummy chicken chow mein dish. 

6)  It's our littlest nephew's 1st birthday today!  The party was on Sunday, and we had a fun time at my sister's place watching him daintily eat his cake, and watching him and our (almost) two year old niece play in the splash pool.

 

7)  My sister, sister-in-law, the two little ones, my 11 year old nephew Giovanni and I met up today in the park for another visit.  It was adorable to watch them swing and slide.

Niece - almost two!

Nephew - ONE!

Big brother and little brother 💙

Cousins 💜

8)  Breakfast this morning was cottage cheese with fruit (and coffee of course).  This kept me fueled up for a long walk around the lake, and then I had one slice of my homemade bread with butter before heading to the park to play with the kids.

9)  Lunch today was at Skye, a restaurant in the park, connected to the Science Center.  I had the beef ramen, although I was a bit disappointment that they didn't use ramen noodles ...

It was still pretty good though.

10)  It has been really, really hot outside, and super humid and muggy, which I am very much enjoying.  With that brings chances of major thunderstorms though, and we got about 15 minutes of one last night, and now it appears as though another one is starting.  It's nice that they're waiting until the evening, so we can at least enjoy the gorgeous days.

I kind of like an evening storm (if they don't cause damage); they're cozy!

How is your week going so far?  How was your weekend?  Is it storming where you are?  Do you like cold brew coffee?  Have you tried the store-bought stuff?  Would you put cold coffee in a smoothie?