Friday Favourite Moments #4 2026

It's hard to believe this week is over. In some ways, it's gone way too fast. Here are my favourite moments from this past week.

1) Time with Mom & Dad

Honestly, this month has been so special to have Mom & Dad living so close to us. They've completely spoiled us by cooking us all our meals, doing all our laundry, and just giving us a "home away from home" during our renovation. We're still staying at our house but we've had so much time with them. I'm just so incredibly thankful that my parents have been here for the past five weeks.

 

2) Nostalgic movies

Last weekend we went down a rabbit hole of some old favourite movies. We started off with Dead Poet's Society. Dave and the kids had never seen it. Then we watched Calendar Girls and Hidden Figures. It was such a great weekend of movie watching. We'll have to see what we can find to watch tonight!

 

3) Puzzle Time

I declared I needed a down day last Saturday and I wore my pjs all day, did some laundry, and did a puzzle. I loved it! Then I had the chance to do two more (with Mom, Dad, and Rachel) on Monday. I never thought I would love puzzles so much!

 

4) SNOW DAY

I was just getting ready for bed on Sunday night when my phone started dinging. I checked my texts and discovered that our board had called a snow day for the next day! This rarely happens (we usually only find out at 6am) so we gathered all our stuff and went to Mom & Dad's for the night so we could sleep in the next day. I spent the day doing puzzles and shovelling and it was so great! It was the perfect start to the week :) 

5) Clear laundry room!

Our renovation has taken over parts of our house which aren't being renovated, like our laundry room. And we get it. However, we need to be able to do our own laundry and use the laundry sink for dishes starting sooner than I want to think about as Mom & Dad are leaving. So I was super happy to see that the laundry room had been cleared out towards the end of this week. It just needs a good wash/dusting and we can use it again.

6) Making our mark

We came home one day this week and there was a little piece of wet cement. After checking with our workers, we were able to sign it! Just a little way to remember The Great House Project of 25-26! Hahaha! 

 

7) Text conversation with Rachel

 

I saw these texts between Rachel and Dave over a couple of days at work this week and laughed so hard! Sometimes our kids are so funny!!! (Also, Rachel said it was okay to share these.)

 

 

 8) New kitchen cupboards!!!

I came home from work yesterday and our kitchen cupboards were being installed!!! I was so excited to see them in person and I LOVE THEM!!! It was so fun to have Mom & Dad come over and see them too.

So those were my favourite moments from this past week -- family time and exciting renovation happenings. What's something good that happened for you this week?

Monthly Musings: Winter Fun/Valentine's Day

It's the first Monthly Musings of 2026. I'm so excited that Holly, who blogs at Pink Lady, and Patty, who blogs at Good, Better, Best, are continuing this in 2026. I really love this link up. Thanks for hosting such a fun blog party each month Holly and Patty!

Edited to add: I didn't realize Holly was no longer hosting. Thank you for the time you gave to this link party. Patty -- thank you for continuing to host it. I love this round up. 

 1) Describe your winter so far in one word.

Intense. We've already surpassed our regular annual snowfall for the year. We're in a extremely cold spell (going down to -30C (-22F) with windchill) which is unusual for Ontario. We've had two full school closure days in the past three weeks -- it's just been an "intense" winter thus far. And I know it's far from over. *deep breaths, deep breaths*

 

2) What winter activities have you never tried but want to.

Winter swimming. I've been reading about this practice in places like Norway and Finland and I am intrigued. Living in Canada, and the parts of Canada where I've lived, I've had the opportunity to do so many things. I'm taking the time with this question to talk about some of them.

 

Feeding birds on a forest walk and going in a sauna (or hot tub) and then jumping straight into the snow!

 

Kick sledding, downhill skiing, and tobogganing.

 

Skating (both on regular rinks and through a forest) and snow shoeing.

I've also played on a hockey team, gone curling, and been on a snowmobile. 

But I've never gone "winter swimming" and I feel like I'm missing out! 

3) Favourite winter beverage.

Coffee-hot chocolate with Kahlua and whipped cream!

4) Least favourite winter chore.

Shoveling the driveway after the snow plow has gone by. The snow is super heavy and my arms hurt for a few days afterwards. Yuck.

 

5) Soup or chili? Share a recipe if you would like.

My favourite soup ever is Cream of Carrot-Cheddar Soup. Bonus: the kids like it too and it makes excellent leftovers. You can find the recipe here.  

 

6) Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, both or neither.

I do like both kinds of chocolate but, except for rare occurrences, I just don't love chocolate as much as I used to. I'm usually always up for a Lindt ball though and the dark chocolate ones are my favourite! 

 

7) Share your galentine's or Valentine's Day plans.

I should probably make some. We're getting more low key about Valentine's Day as the kids get older and it might be even moreso this year. 

 

8) Do you dress festive for Valentine's Day?

I don't. I always think I want the heart sweater I see on other blogs but I still haven't bought myself one and there must be a reason why... 

 

9) Do you make any sweet treats for Valentine's Day?

No, and we especially won't this year as we still won't have a kitchen. (I sound like a real Valentine's Day downer, don't I? I think I just really don't have the energy for it this year and I'd rather show love consistently all year round.)

I'm sure there's a Valentine's metaphor in the photo with droopy, unwatered tulips on my heart tablecloth, but this also sums up how I feel about Valentine's Day this year!  

 

10) What is your love language?

 Probably acts of service. I love when people do something kind or nice for me and I love being able to show my love in this way.

So those are my thoughts on the first Monthly Musings of 2026. I never thought I'd be more into winter than Valentine's Day but it looks like I'm still learning and growing! Hahaha!!!

 

If you didn't link up, share one winter activity that you'd like to try. Maybe you'll inspire me to have a new "winter activity dream"! 

What's Up Wednesday: January 2026

I'm writing the bulk of this post on Monday morning. Last night a snow day was called around 8:30pm. I was excited but in disbelief. Our board rarely calls a snow day the night before -- maybe once every couple of years. I enjoyed sleeping in this morning and having a (somewhat) slow morning.

Answering these questions monthly helps me reflect on the past month and I really appreciate having a record of what we've been up to. The questions come from Shay at Mix and Match Mama and Sheaffer at Sheaffer Told Me Too.

image from here

 

What we're eating this week... We've been so incredibly fortunate to have my parents as our neighbours this month while our kitchen has been demolished. We've been eating here every night and enjoying stir fries, sauteed shrimp and pesto pasta, and so many other delicious meals.

The kids have also been enjoying the chance to bake muffins and Nanaimo bars and to learn how to make some of my mom's specialties. Sam even tried his hand at frying pflintzen (crepe like pancakes).

 

What I'm reminiscing about... Honestly, I'm reminiscing about when I didn't cry in church almost every Sunday. Yesterday marked one year since our friend and her daughter were killed in a car accident. It's been an emotional year for our congregation. As our pastor said on Sunday, "Grief doesn't end after a year" and she's right. There has been a lot of good in the past year but there has also been a lot of hard. So I'm reminiscing about when life wasn't quite so hard.

What I'm loving... I'm absolutely loving having my parents as our neighbours. It has been so great to spend so much time with them and have a place to hang out that isn't in complete chaos. I'm also loving having my bartender nearby! Hahaha!

 

What we've been up to... January has been quite full.

 

At the beginning of the month, Rachel moved into our room and our bathroom and kitchen were demolished.

Exciting things happened like the new tub being installed and the new back door too!

 

The kids and I attended our church's Winter Retreat. I enjoyed a walk to Lake Huron with Tim, a wintry walk in the woods, and a sleigh ride.

 

Our family had a lot of fun at Lights On Stratford. We played in the snow and pretended to get eaten by birds :)

Back at home, insulation and vapour barrier were installed.

We went on a winter walk and fed birds for Dave's birthday.

Drywall was put up (and I cried)!

And I even did a couple of puzzles. 

What I'm dreading... Well, Mom and Dad are leaving on Friday and this is going to be our kitchen for the foreseeable future. It's worked well for morning coffee-hot chocolate and making lunches but we haven't had a meal at home since before Christmas so we're about to enter some very interesting times.

 

What I'm working on... I'm working on improving my winter mindset. This winter has done it's very best to throw a lot of crap at us -- immense amounts of snow, cold, two snow days (thus far), and various other issues. But I'm still trying to find the beauty and the good in winter.

 

I'm also working on consistently flossing and brushing my teeth with my electric toothbrush. And honestly, I've been successful almost every night in January. The difference? I've set an alarm on my phone to remind me and my whole family is encouraging me (or making fun of me?) as well. And, Rachel and Dave are being motivated by my dedication and also flossing and brushing more! Hahaha!!!

 

What I'm excited about... I'm excited about the meeting to choose paint colours we're having this afternoon! I'm also excited that we should soon have a shower in our house again! Whooo hooo! It's the little things in life, I'm telling you :)

 

What I'm watching/reading... This past weekend we went on a movie watching kick. We watched Dead Poets Society, Calendar Girls, and Hidden Figures. I'm loving all these older movies available on Disney+. It's been fun to introduce the kids to some of these classics.

As for reading, I've been focusing on my extremely overdue library books. I finished Health For All: A doctor's prescription for a healthier Canada, The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club, and The View From Lake Como in the past few weeks. I currently have a couple  of Carley Fortune's books and some of the Heated Rivalry series to dive into.

 

What I'm listening to... I don't know what defines my current listening. Shovelling. Can you hear shovelling?!?!

 

What I'm wearing... All my warmest clothes. This was me walking home last Friday when, with the windchill, it was almost -30C/-22F. Underneath I was wearing one of my warmest sweaters. So yes, I've been bundled up a lot lately.

 

 

What I'm doing this weekend... I don't know what I'm doing this weekend. I do know we'll be spending lots of time at home as Mom and Dad are leaving at the end of this week since our neighbours are coming back. I'll be reading, blogging, and trying to stay on top of construction dust. Plus, trying to figure out easy meals (without creating a lot of dishes) to eat!

What I'm looking forward to next month... Rachel has a dance performance, we get a three day weekend, and our favourite ice cream shop is hosting an "ice cream for breakfast" fundraiser. Plus, I think we'll have a lot more exciting things happening with our reno -- like a kitchen and a shower! Woot woot!