Summer in the City... Taste of Lawrence

Nothing says summer like street fairs!   For years now, we've been going to the Taste of Lawrence street festival.  I remember when it used to be really really small. 

It's a nice little festival...  I discovered a really cool quilting shop called Sewing Machine Factory Outlet in a tiny strip plaza.  If you're into sewing, you have to go in.  They have a huge selection of really nice fabrics!

There's a big selection of truck food

Entertainment (fire guy!)

 Rides

Kid in a bubble was probably my favourite to watch.  I think the "Canada Bubbles" attraction was new for this year.

There's always room for some carnie games.  Unfortunately our favourite was closed!

That's ok though... we had fun watching the carpet slide with the bear.

Joshie tried his first game and won a little dolphin

 By the end of the night, we all had some cones and headed on home. 

 Can't wait for the next one...  Happy Summer!

Taste Test: Organic vs Non-Organic

A couple of weeks ago, I was a vendor at the Leslieville Tree Festival.   One of the best things about being situated near the food people was that food started coming our way by the end of day.  We really enjoyed the  muffins that showed up on our table.  The organic food in a box girl also stopped by and offered us her produce.  So, we decided to have some fun and do a taste test.

My kids get their daily recommended portions a la Canada Food Guide.   We don't buy organic mainly because there isn't any evidence that proves organic veggies/fruits are more nutritious than conventionally grown fruits and veggies.  So this was a fun little exercise for us to see if organic food was tastier than non organic food.

We did about 6 taste tests for celery, red leaf lettuce, spinach, garlic, mango, and pear.

It's funny that the fruit looked very similar.  It wasn't easy to tell which was which.

Over the course of a few days, I cut up the food, served it side by side and asked:  Which do you like better?

The verdict:   Hubby couldn't tell the difference visually or by taste.  The kids didn't know why I was making them eat two of everything.  They just thought it was fun.  I didn't really see much of a difference in the taste EXCEPT, I found that the organic veggies were slightly less bitter - especially with the spinach and celery.    Again, hubby didn't notice a difference.

So there you have it, my "highly scientific" taste test!

Bulldozer Toddler Backpack

 
This toddler backpack was made especially for Baby Bunny. I spent a lot of time trying to decide between his favourites: choo choo train, buses, garbage truck, and cars. Every time I make a backpack, he always asks if it's for him so this time, I designed this one especially for him.

My favourite part of this backpack is the label placement.  Looks great as the back light.  If I had the foresight to shift the bulldozer to the right, I would have placed the label right above the shovel.

Here are the side views.  I decided to do a flat pocket instead of an elasticized pocket.  I like that it looks sleek but next time, I'll put in 1 or even 2 elasticized pockets.  The superheroes need a place to go.

I also found this cool stars fabric at my local sewing shop.  So of course I had to have it and love how the lining turned out. 

Here is a pic of the backpack inside out so you can see the lining.  It's such a happy print!  If the fabric was a heavier weight, I would use it as my outer fabric.

I hid a little "m" at the back.  It's small enough not to be too noticeable. 

It's so nice to make things for your kids - especially when they are so happy to see it.  The little guy knew I made it for him and said "Mama made it!". 

Not even 24 hours after I gave him the backpack, I saw this...

and then this!  Aah!!  The horror!

The good news is that pen ink comes out really easily with a bit of hairspray.  Phew! 

Happy Sewing,