The snow banks are back!

It didn't take much snow for the streetscape to look like this again. I saw a homemade sign plunged into a snow bank while I was out today that said, "Reserved Parking - VIP." We need something like that for our street.

Which hat will we need?

Beth has knitted the three smaller caps and the blue one is from when the boys were babies. Hopefully, 3 days from now we'll know which one to use.

38 Weeks

3 days to go!

Snow pile alert!

The pile of snow in our backyard is now taller than the deck.

More snow!

It snowed another 15 cm today. It was tough slogging home with the boys. Then it was off to choir with Liam. We took Pottery Road and some cars were having a tough time climbing both the Pottery Road hill and the Bayview Extension hill.

Vanishing snowbanks!

While I was out skating with the boys yesterday, the city came along and cleared the snow banks across the street leaving this mess. Of course, this does nothing to alleviate our parking woes as we are not allowed to park on that side of the street and they left the snowbanks on our side intact. It does allow two cars to pass by each other with a little more ease.

Luke's favourite food

Lately, whenever Luke sits down to eat he utters a groan along with something along the lines of, "I hate this! Why do you always give me food I don't like?" If he had his way, his diet would consist only of: macaroni and cheese, weiner rolls, apples, french fries, cheese pizza, chocolate milk, bread with jam, yoghurt and cheese strings. Now that I write that out it does seem quite varied.

Happy Robbie Burns Day!

I'm not Scottish, but who can't resist the allure of celebrating the Scottish bard's 250th birthday.

Nesting!

It's cold outside today (below -15 C this morning - windchill of -30 C) and now that Beth is at 37 weeks she's definitely nesting. As soon as she heard that I had put the crib back together, she was upstairs getting all the bedding ready.

Tofu chickpea curry

After finding some tofu at Costco for the bargain price of 3 300g blocks for $3.19, tofu's back on the menu. This is one of our staple go-to dishes - fast and yummy. Unfortunately the kids won't eat it, yet. The recipe is adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, which I've used for almost fifteen years. The original recipe calls for tomatoes instead of apples and doesn't include ginger. I add the apples because Beth doesn't like the partly cooked tomatoes.

1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tbs of chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 block of extra firm tofu - cubed
1 can (19 oz) of chickpeas - drained and rinsed, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid
2 apples - cared and chopped

Over medium heat saute the onion, garlic and ginger in the oil until translucent and fragrant. Add the spices for 30 seconds, then add the cubed tofu for another 30 seconds - stirring constantly. Add the chickpeas and the reserved liquid. Bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and add the apples - cooking until heated through. Serve over rice. I like to top it with plain yoghurt and some of my peach chutney.

Smooth ice!

Liam and I went to East York Memorial Arena this morning and enjoyed some smooth freshly Zambonied ice. Video below.

Sunday - more snow!

It looks beautiful and it was light and fluffy to shovel. I'm not sure where we're going to put it. I already thought parking was at a premium. I took a few minutes this morning to shovel out some extra spots on the street. I walked to boys to Taya's birthday to keep my spot from being taken while I was gone.

Friday - clear cold blue skies!

I took these pictures on Friday. The first is from outside my school, the second is inside Beth's school, and the third I took as I was picking up the boys.

Night time skate

The boys and I went to try out the local natural rink. A team of volunteers has been flooding like crazy, especially with the low temperatures. It's a little bumpy- though it was exhilarating to be skating outside at night with the temperature at -15.

Really handy

I noticed this store on the way to work this morning. The hands belong to a nail salon above it.

Parking hassles!

The low of -20 last night turned the slush into ice and only exacerbated our parking woes. Perfectly usable spots have been rendered useless by people piling their snow on the street. Every night turns into a hunt for a treasured parking space.

Temperature's dropping - time for a coffee

The temperature really dropped this afternoon - there's a cold snap on the way. When I got home Beth had the Baby Gaggia all warmed up to make her Vanilla Con Crema. I took the opportunity to take the chill off by making a cappuccino. In the picture you can see espresso with a nice layer of crema ready for the steamed milk. I've been making espresso drinks for at least 16 years. The Baby Gaggia has served me well for over ten. Have you seen the video?

Snowbank alert!

On the way back from church, Liam and I noticed this snow bank. I think you can tell from this photo that it's taller than him. It was a glorious morning to be out walking - about 5 cm of snow on the ground, sun, and crisp clean temperatures.

Sunday - that must mean pancakes.

I dusted off the buttermilk and oatmeal pancake recipe this morning. This was a first for Luke - he cut up his own pancake. He calls them "fingers."

Saturday - that must mean hockey.

Saturday means two trips to the rink. I was there at 8:30 with Luke and then back again at 12:30 with Liam. Here he is ready to get on the ice for his hour of hockey-school.

Should I be biking?

I took these pictures on Friday. With the roads looking half-passable and other hardy souls out cycle commuting, I wonder if I should be out there. The bike hasn't moved since December 15th and I miss it.

32 degree spread

The windchill was -20 C this morning at 8 a.m. and in Naples, FL it was 12 C. That's over a 30 degree spread. I love the winter, but March can't come soon enough.

The Sorel Replacements

We have been hit by some messy snow over the last two days and the replacements I bought for my leaking Sorels have been fantastic. The Keen Summit County Boots are warm, light, dry and provide great traction. I've loved my two pairs of Keen shoes, and these boots seem destined to follow. Thanks Mom.

Tuesday lunch

I just had to get out and go for a walk today at lunch so I treated myself to a rare lunch out. First stop was an amazing burger at the Gourmet Burger Co. on Parliament. Check them out at: http://www.thegourmetburgerco.com/
Then it was off to Jet Fuel for a $2 latte before afternoon classes started.

Cottage update

Dad and I went up to the cottage on the 30th. Despite the big Boxing Day melt, there was quite a bit of snow. I took the opportunity to take a picture of the Hobie Cat and the canoe in winter storage. I'm looking forward to many happy hours out on the lake this summer.