Gardens and Golf

Another gloriously hot and sunny weekend here in Victoria.  August has been so amazing.  I hope it keeps up!

Since Michael is thisclose to finishing his two big house projects we decided we could take a few hours for ourselves on Saturday and headed out to a local driving range.  Michael would love it if I would learn to golf so I’ve told him I’d be happy to hit the driving range once in a while to see how it goes.

It’s been, oh I don’t know…SEVEN YEARS…since I hit a golf ball.  Lordy.  I used to really like going to the driving range though so here’s hoping that translates into liking golf.

I wore my Toms shoes and could not get comfortable so Michael told me just to take my shoes off.  It actually helped me focus on my balance and foot position better anyway. 

We hit a large bucket of balls each, which was enough to help me decide which club I liked best and cramp my hand.  Note:  I bet lady golfers don’t have nice, long fingernails…I kept jamming myself in the palm with my opposite thumbnail!  (Which is why I’m wearing his glove).

After running a few errands we headed back to Michael’s to work on yet another house project.  Front yard landscaping. 

I wish I had a before picture because to you guys this probably just looks like a strip of new bark mulch, but if you could have seen the old log that was acting as driveway trim before you would be all like “wow, that’s soooo beautiful now!!”. 

It’s actually not bark mulch…it’s rubber!  Recycled tires to be exact.  Very cool.  We spread landscape fabric underneath it and edged it with large rocks in the hopes of keeping the weeds at bay.

And just for fun…lap dogs. 

Saturday eatin’:

1. Coffee and water.  Duh.

2. Scrambled eggs, whole grain toast, 2 slices of bacon, avocado and tomato.

3. Free hardware store popcorn.

4. Deli lunch: potato & yam salad, seafood pasta salad, olives and pickles.

5. Fettuccini with ground beef, zucchini and mushrooms in tomato sauce.  Garlic toast on the side.

I also enjoyed a frosty glass of cider with dinner and a deeeeelicous ice cream bar for dessert.  After spending the day in the heat my body was in need of some cool treats!

How was your Saturday? 

Have you ever taken up a sport or activity to enjoy with your significant other?

Ready for the Weekend

Last night I decided to tackle a few work items right before bed so I wouldn’t be sitting here tonight.  It was a good decision because now I’m all caught up and can go enjoy my weekend.

Don’t you love that feeling?!

After work today I texted Michael and told him I needed to take a few hours to do some housework before heading to his place for the evening.  Every night this week I’ve looked at my carpets and thought about vacuuming but every night got away from me.  I could not go enjoy my weekend knowing I still had chores to do!

Vacuumed, dusted, cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom.  I’m happy now.

If only my oven would clean itself. 

OK, time to pack up my pj’s and my pupper and head over to the boyfriend’s.  I sure hope he has a movie for us to watch because that’s all I have the energy for.  Maybe I’ll even stay awake for it. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Shrimps on the Barbie

That hammock pretty much sums up my Saturday. :)  Not that I didn’t get some things done (washed car, made breakfast cookies, whipped up some olive tapenade) but enjoying the sun was top on my priority list.

1. Coffeeeeee

2. Waffle with berries, cheesy scrambled eggs, ham.

3. Water, water, water…oh ya, water.

4. Lunch plate for 2: honey ham, smoked pepperoni, cukes, mushrooms, cheddar.

5. Hammock snacks: BBQ peanuts and blueberries.

6. Lime tortilla chips with salsa and cottage cheese.

7. Dinner plate for 2: olive tapenade, focaccia, veggies.

8. Watermelon and fresh basil.

On Sunday I wrangled Michael away from his ongoing household projects so we could load the dogs in the truck and take a nice long walk in the sun.  It was hot, sweaty and glorious…love the gorgeous weather!

1. Cottage cheese, non-fat yogurt, Raisin Bran, and blueberries.

2. Cherries and breakfast cookies.

3. Post-walk treats [unpictured]: small Tim Horton’s Iced Capp with chocolate milk (it’s lower cal and way tastier!  try it!) and 2 x lemon Timbits.

4. Focaccia with tapenade, ham and cucumbers.  BBQ peanuts on the side.

5. Grilled spot prawns, grilled zucchini, grilled mushrooms, and corn on the cob.

6. Movie treats: Peanut Butter M&M’s.

We finished the day by baking up a Peach-Blueberry Crisp and enjoying an air-conditioned movie.  The Dark Knight Rises did not disappoint. 

Even thought today is a holiday here in BC, I’m spending a few hours sitting here in my jammies at Michael’s kitchen table doing some work for my regular job.  Nice to have a day off from my new office job though!  Lord knows more than a week of combing my hair and wearing real clothes was really wearing on me.  :)

Nothing wrong with eating Peach-Blueberry Crisp for breakfast either.

Happy BC Day!

T.G.I.Saturday.

Oh you guys.  It’s soooooo nice out here today.  Like so warm that I stepped out on the deck and started to sweat.  Amazing!

Of course for some reason I’ve spent my Saturday morning inside watching Olympics (Canada got a gold!), baking a batch of breakfast cookies, and sipping too much coffee. 

Right after this post I’m making myself useful outside by washing my car.  Michael is painting out on the deck yet again.  That project is never ending!

Friday…

1. Coffee with almond milk, and water of course.

2. Kashi Honey Almond Flax with almond milk, banana, and blueberries.

3. Pre-pitted cherries for office snack (and dark chocolate for after lunch).

4. Salad of the week. 

5. Pre-power walk carby goodness: sandwich thin with TJ’s almond butter.

6. Starbucks Tall Half-Sweet Green Tea Lemonade.

7. Protein shake.

8. Tide me over for late dinner: rice crackers and Laughing Cow.

9. Store-bought lasagna and steamed Brussels sprouts.

We spent our Friday evening chatting about our week and watching The Dark Knight (#2 don’tcha know) in preparation for finding time to hit up the final Batman movie this weekend.  Seems like some movie theatre air conditioning might be just the thing we crave!

Dog Day Weekend

Our weekend was relaxing yet crazy busy at the same time.  Saturday I spent a good portion of the day putting the final coat of white paint on all of the door and window trim in the basement suite, while Michael spent his day preparing his deck for painting. 

We took a much deserved pit stop at Qoola and then curled up on the couch to watch our ‘stories’ after dinner.  The Newsroom and Breaking Bad.

1. Coffeeeeeee.

2. Scrambled eggs with swiss chard, grilled ham, whole grain toast.

3. Watermelon with basil.

4. Cheese and salami.

5. Qoola Frozen Yogurt:  half chocolate topped with M&Ms and Crispy Crunch, half coconut with berries, mango and coconut, sour dinosaur garnish.

6. Grilled pork loin chop, boiled new potatoes with chives, salad.

7. Vanilla ice cream with peaches.

On Sunday morning we took our time walking the dogs and sipping our coffee before launching into our day.  Michael tackled painting his deck while I opted to do some baking, some gardening, some errands, and some reading.

1. Whole grain toast with PB and banana.

2. Coffeeeeee.

3. Breakfast cookie.

4. Chinese leftovers found in M’s fridge. :)

5. Chilled chicken breast, ah-mazing corn on the cob, man salad.

6. Homemade cherry pie! with vanilla ice cream.

I’m so proud!  This pie crust turned out exactly how I love it. 

This batch of panzanella ‘man salad’ was made with toasted ciabatta, fresh tomatoes, basil, Italian parsley, finely grated Irish cheddar, EVOO, balsamic, and salt & pepper.  I could eat this all.day.long.

Sunday night we watched Batman Begins in anticipation of heading to see The Dark Knight Rises next weekend in between our next batch of renovations and chores. 

Sadly I can no longer stay over on Sunday nights with my new work schedule, but I looked at it as a nice start to my new week…coming home, prepping my lunch and outfit for Monday!

Hope you all had a fun, sunny, and delicious weekend!

Chore Day and Fast Food

After spending most of Saturday enjoying the sun, walking with the dogs, picking strawberries and hanging out in the hot tub I decided I had better put on my good girlfriend hat on Sunday and help out with one of the eighteen million projects going on at Michael’s right now.

While he and his buddy Len spent the day working on the pergola over the back deck…

I took turns between running errands to the home improvement store, picking up lunch, and painting the new baseboards and door trim for the basement suite.

I also spent half of the day laying on the couch nursing my back as it seems to have decided it’s been far too long since something went into spasm.  Booo.

Eats were pretty alright.  Michael made breakfast for me and Len, so I opted for half of what he was having.  And for lunch, burgers and fries were requested so I found a grilled chicken burger on the menu for myself so I wouldn’t feel left out of the fast-food fun. :)

1. Over-easy egg, sausage, grilled tomato, and whole grain toast.

2. Coffeeeeee with milk.

3. Kind bar.

4. Dairy Queen grilled chicken burger with no mayo, deli coleslaw, deli ancient grains salad.

5. Grilled bison steak, tomato & herb salad, steamed beets and greens.

6. Quadratini wafer cookies.

Not pictured are a couple of liters of water and several fresh picked strawberries and cherries. 

Here’s a good question:  Why don’t fast food places that are putting ‘healthier’ options on their menus give the option of a whole wheat bun?  That grilled chicken burger was low-cal and pretty tasty but the white bun was a topic of discussion at our lunch table (and weird for me to eat because I’m so used to whole wheat or sprouted grain breads).

Hot Walk and Cool Treats

After a leisurely morning of late sleeping, good coffee, and introducing Michael to overnight oats (he’s not a fan…boooo) I leashed up Chibi and Timmy and hit the streets of Fairfield for the Moss Street Paint In.

The art was amazing, the weather was lovely, and my hairless dog was the talk of the party.  :)  I’ll share my photos tomorrow.

1. Coffee with milk and water.

2. Overnight oats topped with pan-fried plantain.

3. Wannawafel!

4. Starbucks tall cool lime refresher.

5. Rye & caraway Triscuits and salami.

6. Watermelon.

7. Appetizer: lemon-herb oysters (I ate 2).

8. Grilled basa filet, steamed fresh rainbow chard, salad.

9. Blueberry-Yogurt Freezer Pie.

Bonus:  Hot Tubbin’ with a few sips of King Heffy. :)

The best part about making the trip across town for the Paint In was that I finally had the chance to wander the Moss Street Market as well.  I was too late for cherry tomatoes, but I did walk out with gorgeous rainbow chard and a bunch of perfect beets. 

Just a beautiful day for me and my entourage. 

Easter Weekend

Sea Cider tasting and conversation with good friends.

Brisk walk along Island View Beach.

Delicious dinner at new-to-us Brentwood Bay bistro Zanzibar.

My first batch of Hot Cross Buns.

Sunday brunch and Easter Egg Hunt with the bf’s family (thanks Crystal!).

Detox from sugar and bacon coma.  Hoppy Easter!