At Home With Mom

This weekend was all about my Mama!  Being that it was not only Mother’s Day yesterday, but also her birthday!  Happy Birthday, Mama!

Hilariously I only took a picture of her giant card and the traditional annual hanging basket I brought her.  One year we might actually take pictures of US! 

While I let her sleep in yesterday morning I decided to take Chibi on another stroll around my childhood neighbourhood.  We have already walked around my old high school in the snow and last month we took a wander to the nearby mall so this time I decided to head for some nature and took in the Colliery Dam Park in Nanaimo. 

When I was a kid we used to have to climb over a huge, scary fence and run through a field (we were sure there was a mean bull in there!) to get to the park from my house, but now the field is gone and houses have been built, and along with those houses came a proper pathway right to the entrance of the park.

So much development has gone on in the area that I was not entirely sure what to expect at the park.  I’m happy to report that it’s still just as lush and beautiful as ever!  In fact, I don’t remember it being this nice when I was a kid! 

In high school phys ed we occasionally had to run from the school to this park, through the trails and back down the other side.  We HATED the ‘Dam Run’.  After walking through it yesterday I now realize we had no idea what we were talking about!  It’s gorgeous.

No trip down memory lane is complete without a trek through the school field.  The Dogwood trees are in bloom right now and I’m in love.

Not a bad way to spend a gloriously sunny morning at home!

Almost There

Sooooo close to being caught up on the posting.  I’m not a fan of being three days behind!  And I’m certain it’s annoying for you all to read.  Good news is, I’m heading home to Halifax on Friday so things should be back to normal by Sunday.  Bad news is, 20 condos viewed and I haven’t bought one.  Ugh.

Monday was actually back to work for me.  Yes I have a coolio job that can be done from anywhere with an internet connection…well almost anywhere…but definitely Mom’s kitchen table.  :)

Look at the supah cute coffee mug I discovered in her cupboard…

Filled with Starbucks Cafe Verona and a splash of chocolate milk.

I’m a bad girl and didn’t have breakfast.  Working away with my coffee and water…next thing I knew it was like 11am!  I’m so out of my routine!!  So I had leftover Chinese Food…

Um, and a deeeeelish chocolate from Rogers.  Empress Square…caramel and almonds in milk chocolate.  Oh, you would have eaten it too!!

Oh look!  Fruit!!

After work Mom and I headed out for our annual steak dinner in celebration of her birthday.  Nom!  Her birthday isn’t until Thursday but since I’m travelling we had to do it a bit early.  This year we opted for The Keg.

Keg Size Caesars to start…

Deeeeelish Keg bread (although they seem to have changed it slightly…still warm and fabulous though)…

I opted for my all time fave appetizer…Mushrooms Neptune.  I used to order this and salad bar as a meal when I was a kid.  :)

Mom’s crazy MASSIVE Shrimp Cocktail…

Keeping up with my rich and decadent theme, I chose the Steak Oscar for dinner.  Yup, sirloin covered in bearnaise sauce with shrimp, scallops, and asparagus.  With garlic mashed potatoes because it wasn’t rich enough already!

 

Mom opted for the Blue Cheese Filet…by the description she expected just a bit of cheese and garlic broiled atop the steak, but it came as more of a “puff”.  Tasty, but overwhelming.  Still a filet mignon under there though!

We also shared the asparagus and sauteed mushrooms.

Finished with decaf coffee and then seriously almost waddled out of there.  I took leftovers but I still felt like I’d packed away two days worth of food!!

There may or may not have been birthday Blizzards consumed later that night.  :)  You’ll never really know.

Fun fact:  The reason we like steaks at The Keg is mainly because they are one of the only restaurants that can do a proper Chicago style steak – seared dark on the outside, cooked to order on the inside.  In my case, medium-rare in the middle because with the Chicago outside the middle still keeps cooking.  It’s the bestest!!

Meat eaters:  how do you like your steak?

Mom’s Birthday Dinner

Those of you that visit my blog to see my healthy ideas and meals, LOOK AWAY NOW! Lordy, lordy…I sure know how to jump off the wagon HARDCORE! :)

But seriously…I can’t go to The Keg and order “healthy”. It’s just not right.

Mom and I really are traditionalists (also known as creatures of habit) for her birthday. It’s always The Keg or another local restaurant The Bold Knight (which is also steaks and seafood). This year could be no exception!

Don’t mind if we do!!

Started with Keg-size Bloody Caesars…

Appies of Jumbo Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Mushrooms Neptune, and of course the famous Keg sourdough bread with butter.

Main courses: Mom had steak and lobster, I had the Crab/Cheddar Sirloin…both with loaded baked potatoes.

We shared a side of button mushrooms and a side of fresh asparagus.

Had I known the amount of cheese sauce on my steak I may have asked them to scale back (not that it stopped me from eating it since it was there!). Holy cheese-fest Batman. And too bad that they felt it necessary to drench our asparagus in butter too….but really at this point, oh well!!

(I should note that I only ate half the potato and brought home about a third of my steak….although I still ate way too much!)

Even though both of us were filled to button-popping proportions, we still had to have a dessert since this was a birthday after all!! Mom choose the creme brulee which is my all time favorite dessert so I stole a few (OK, like half) spoonfuls from her to enjoy with my fancy after-dinner coffee.

Mandatory Coffee (decaf): Bailey’s and Peppermint Schnapps. drool.

I felt pretty yucky for the rest of the evening and this morning I was absolutely starving due to the mass consumption of food last night, but it also strengthened my resolve to try to take it a little easier for the rest of my vacation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!