From the Cottage to the AGO to Cityline

So taking a vacation is exactly what the doctor ordered!  This past week was a lot of fun! It all started last Friday when my friend V and I drove up to A's Cottage for a Girls Weekend. It was heaven. A bunch of great ladies, good food, and beautiful scenary.

Here's a view from the dock

A is my crafty gal pal so she made some chimes out of old spoons

We ended up learning how to shoot.  8 gals with a .22 calibre rifle.  Yup.  I did pretty good too! 

We had a lobsterfest on the dock with lots and lots of butter.  There was no dieting on this trip!

The night was so clear and beautiful.  I saw 3 shooting stars!  (And no, they were not satellites.  Real shooting stars!)  I made 3 wishes too!

I really missed hubby and the kids.  Baby bunny missed me a lot too.  I have to give kudos to hubby for watching the kids for the 3 days.

Later in the week, we went to the Art Gallery of Ontario.  I don't even bother trying to get them to smile.  One is always coming from one direction while the other is going the other way.    I saw the Picasso exhibit but through the eyes of my little ones.  I heard things like "he's naked!" and "what's that?" and "she's sad!"  I took the kids in the middle of the week because once Joshie starts school in September, we will only be able to visit on weekends :(  The kids also love going to the AGO because it means going to the Chinatown bakery beforehand for sticky buns and cookies.

By the end of the week, I was exhausted but my cousin had tickets to go to Fashion Fridays on Cityline so 4 of us went down to be audience members.  This has been a tradition for the last 3 years!  I ended up downtown at 8:20am - record time ever!  I missed my GO train so I ended up driving and got there at the same time as the train.

Here's a pic of Dundas Square... I can't believe how much it has changed over the years.   I remember when there were no ads and no big retailers.

Next week will be our chillaxing week before school starts.  I'd better get started on kiddo's new backpack!

Recipe: Tomato, Chicken and Basil Rigatoni

Summer is slowly starting to come to an end and this is usually when I try to eat whatever we have grown in the garden. This recipe is so easy to make and it's perfect for lunch or dinner outside.

Here's what you need:
1 or 2 tomatoes from the garden
4-5 basil leaves
Left over grilled chicken cut into chunks
Sliced mushrooms
Rigatoni

Instructions:
1.  Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions
2.  Chop your tomatoes, basil, chicken and mushrooms
3.  Add some olive oil to a medium sized pot and cook your tomatoes and basil over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.  Stir.  Add mushrooms and continue to stir.  Add chicken and simmer for about 5 minutes.  If the mixture gets a little dry, add some water or another tomato.
4.  Add cooked pasta and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. 
5.  Serve!

It's so nice with some salad

So healthy and fresh tasting.  I love summer cooking.  Enjoy!

Garbage Truck Backpack for J

So it seems like most of the boys I sew backpacks for have names like Jason, James, Joshua... is it a coincidence that I am always sewing for "J" kids?

Here's the latest/last backpack I made for the summer.   This one will be for little J as he's going to preschool.

This will be the first time someone has ordered two side pockets and I think it's a great idea!

Overall it's got the same look and feel as this one or this one.  I really like the look of the quilted bottom vs a flat bottom.  It's soft but has structure.

I love little boys and their backpacks!  Can't wait to see a pic of little J in his backpack!