Currently: November 2026

I'm linking up belatedly with Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa for her "currently" post. You can find Amy here. I don't even know why I'm late posting this; I've just been really unmotivated to do anything these days and it's clearly spilling over into blogging too. Anyways, it's Sunday evening as I write this and I still wanted to join in on this link up so here's what I've come up with.

[No-vember – Saying “no” to]

Dave and I are "saying 'no'" to not eating well when the kids are out. We have to practice for being empty nesters sooner rather than later and, thus far, we are not good at it! On Thursday nights the kids are at our midweek church program for supper and Dave and I have been eating on our own. Usually this means I have a bowl of popcorn and Dave makes himself an egg. However, last week we decided to cook a supper we really enjoy and made Lazy Shepherd's Pie. This week we are making a beef and mushroom ragout. We're deciding to make meals that we really love and the kids don't really eat.

This is not the prettiest picture but this meal is delicious!!!

[Thanking for]

I am "thankful for" free healthcare. We got Covid and flu shots this past weekend and Rachel fainted when she got her first shot. This is not unusual for her but, after about five minutes she wasn't really waking up (she was going in and out of consciousness) and the pharmacist suggested calling 9-1-1. We agreed because it was taking her an unusually long time to recover. Thankfully, she did eventually completely wake up and the paramedics arrived, did some quick tests, and declared her good to go. But I am just so thankful that we didn't have to worry about having to pay for any of this -- we could just have the pharmacist call for help without any worries. Rachel is fine, which I am also "thankful for." (Rachel gave me permission to share this, by the way.)

In less dramatic news, I am also "thankful for" the fact that we live so centrally. Dave had the car out of town for work on Wednesday and I had a dentist appointment. I was able to walk from work to home to the dentist, and if Rachel had felt up for going to dance, we could have gotten there on the LRT. She decided she was too tired for dance and so we walked back home, with Starbucks. I was really "thankful for" the path this day.

 

left: walking to work in the morning; right: walking home (in the rain) after the dentist 

[Eating/Drinking]

I've been "drinking" a lot of tea these days. I'm loving the Medicine Ball tea from Starbucks, also known as the Honey Citrus Mint Tea. I introduced it to my principal and she loves it too. In fact, she brought me one the other morning which I was so grateful for. I'm also "drinking" the Harvest Blend Herbal Tea I picked up at Trader Joe's. Yes, I've been on an herbal tea kick lately.

 

[Cozying up to]

I'm "cozying up to" tea, flannel pajamas, and extra blankets on the bed at night. I'm also "cozying up to" my matching fit and thinking I need to get another one! I wear it a lot!

[Watching/Reading]

I'm currently "reading" The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. I'm almost done it and then I'll dive into Yesteryear. I'm not watching anything these days. At some point, we'll subscribe to something that will allow us to watch Hallmark movies but we just haven't gotten there yet. Maybe this week I'll bake some Applesauce Jumbles and we'll watch a Hallmark movie to kick off the weekend. I think I'm almost ready for that season :)

So that's what's up with us "currently." I always feel like we're in a bit of limbo in November and things are going to get busier but we're just laying low for now. And drinking tea!

10 On The 10th: August 2026

Well friends, as of today, my summer break is over :( I have a full day meeting today and then the rest of this week, I will be at the school -- sorting, organizing, catching up on emails, and generally getting ready for school to start. In a month, I will be back into routine, but as of today, I'm just dreading it. Blah.

At the same time, I know so many of you don't get a long summer break from your jobs and I am so thankful for mine -- time to rest and recharge, time to get stuff down around the house, time to spend with my family, and time to have a lot of fun. So I go back to work today with mixed emotions.

Today, on the blog, I am looking back at a couple of weeks ago, how I spent my day on August 10th. I've been doing "10 on the 10th" posts for awhile and I take ten pictures of the 10th day of the month (and sometimes the 11th day of the month or the "weekend of the 10th" of the month but I digress...!).

This day started with coffee-hot chocolate on the deck with Dave. This is always one of my favourite parts of the day.

I love having ivy on our house; however in August it drops all its seeds. So I swept up four shovelfuls of ivy seeds. I have to do this about two or three times over the course of a couple of weeks and then its done.

I don't know if I've mentioned this on the blog or not but in July 2024, we lost our doctor when they closed the local office. We were without a doctor until this past February. We finally have a doctor again and both Dave and I have had minor health issues checked out this summer. So I was at the doctor's office. Yay?!?

After my appointment, I weeded some of the day lily bed and then ate some leftover salad on the deck.

My July project was unpacking boxes in Dave's office and my August project was deep cleaning the laundry room as it was still covered in renovation dust. This was an intensive project which involved going through things, wiping absolutely everything down, and reorganizing. I spent about an hour starting this project this day and made some progress.

This was one week when both kids were around so I gave them things to do each day. Sam assembled an IKEA shelf for our guest room while Rachel made lasagne from scratch for supper. I LOVE having helpful, older, kids! 

After supper all four of us walked up town and volunteered with a local venture for a bit. Then we stopped at Starbucks for a treat for the walk home. The local chamber orchestra was performing an outdoor concert in our square so we listened in for a bit.

I took a picture of Rachel taking a picture of me on the path! Hahaha!!!

 

And that was my August 10th -- getting things done and enjoying a slower pace of life. It was a very good day.

Friday Favourite Moments #8 2026 (On A Monday)

I did not get a Friday Favourite Moments post written last week. Thursday night I drove the kids to their activities, Dave and I had a quick supper, and then we showed Tim & Janice around our house so they could see the latest reno updates in person. Wednesday was the day our new appliances arrived (yay!) and we were testing them out. Anyways, here are my favourite moments from this past week.

1) Starbucks orders

Last Friday my principal wanted Starbucks so we placed an order. We decided we're having "office Friday Starbucks" from now until March Break to get us through. It's the small things in life, I'm telling you :)  

2) Baseball is back!!!

After four long months, baseball is back! I watched the entire first game of Spring Training and I was soooo happy! Can't wait for warm summer days (or nights!) at the ball park!!! 

 

3) Supportive friends

We were supposed to go to our friends' for supper on Saturday night but Rachel woke up and was really sick so we cancelled. Our friends brought dinner to us anyways, which was so kind of them. It's such a treat to get home cooked meals during this time. Hopefully next time we'll be able to enjoy our meal and have a visit with them.

4) Olympic Hockey Game 

 

Even though the outcome was not what Canadians wanted, watching the gold medal game for men's hockey was so fun! (Until it wasn't...)

 

5) New appliances!

Our new appliances arrived!!! We Facetimed my parents so they could see us try our new induction stove for the first time. We're eagerly awaiting our dishwasher installation which will hopefully be happening later this week. 

6) We have a doctor!

In July 2024, a week before Dave and I left for Scotland, our doctor's office sent out a message saying they were closing our clinic. We'd had no prior warning and it was so frustrating. For the past year and a half, we have been without a family doctor. However, a couple of months ago, we found a doctor who would take us on (thanks to Dave's parents) and it was at the clinic we were hoping to get in to. We had our official "I'm your doctor" appointments this past week and Dave and I feel such a sense of relief to finally have a family doctor again. While I enjoy our free Canadian healthcare, the waits for family doctors are ridiculous.

7) Kitchen reveal (sort of!)

On Thursday before they left, the workers took all the plastic off the kitchen cupboards and the cardboard off the counters! I LOVE our new kitchen! It is mostly painted now, just waiting on some trim to be painted, and the microwave and dishwasher need to be installed but it's sooooo close to being done. Another favourite moment was showing Tim and Janice the latest on our renovation. They were the third and fourth people to see the uncovered kitchen as the kids had already left for their evening activities when everything was taken off. I love sharing our renovation with our friends!

So those were my favourite moments from this past week. While we're currently under a cold warming (again), most days this week are supposed to be above freezing so I'm sure Friday's post will include a few favourite moments about melting snow! Yay spring!

Friday Favourite Moments #7 2026

I'm starting this post on Wednesday night because I am determined to get this posted in a timely manner on Friday! Hahaha! Serious question, though, for those of you who write weekly Friday posts: Do you write it all on Thursday night or throughout the week? Tell me your ways, O Wise (and Timely) Ones :)

Here are my favourite moments from this past week.

1) A Shower In Our House!!!

After six long weeks, we have a shower in our house again!!! And realistically, we weren't using our shower at the end of December either because the tap was really leaking every time we used it. Our new shower is so pretty! So taking my first shower at home in almost two months was absolutely a favourite moment! A close runner up was the fact that Rachel was determined to clean it herself before we used it as it was covered in dust.

2) Chipping ice

I didn't feel well on Friday and for most of Saturday, too. However, once I started feeling better, I headed outside to chip ice. Sam came out and got in the spirit too. We cleared off our entire driveway, the walkway to our house, our porch, and the stairs. By Sunday, the kids were heading out on their own to work on the path between the dumpster and the house, and the area of the driveway behind the dumpster. 

Rachel liked grabbing big chunks of ice and tossing them onto our yard. I loved that it was warm enough we could be out without jackets, although I think Rachel's short sleeves were a little optimistic!

3) Baking cookies

 

We barely have a kitchen right now (it's in our dining room) but Rachel was determined to bake cookies this past weekend. She set up on the dining room table and got to work. She made chocolate chip cookies and they were really good. I'm so impressed with how she "made do" and baked, despite the inconvenience.

4) Clean bill of health

While having a scary spate of floaters in my eye over the weekend, and spending five hours in the emergency room, was not a favourite, I was really grateful for two things. One, it turns out my issue wasn't very serious and will resolve on its own. Two, we don't have to pay for healthcare in Canada. I know we pay for it through our taxes, and there are things which could be better, but since Dave and I walked to the hospital, the only cost of my whole eye issue was $3 for parking at the ophthalmologist appointment. That feels like a pretty good deal. (If you don't what I'm talking about, read the first two paragraphs of this post here.)

5) Time at home

Some of my favourite moments this week have just been being able to spend more time at home. I am so happy I could make some meals (including French Onion soup), read some books, do laundry, and chip ice with the kids. After an overly busy week last week, I enjoyed every moment at home. 

So those were some of my favourite moments from this past week. Tell me something about your week, or, as I said above, if you write a weekly Friday post, tell me your secrets to timely posting :) 

Renovation Report Week 15

Before I start my renovation report, I have a quick health update for you. I stayed home on Friday with a bad headache and some dizziness. That resolved by Saturday late afternoon. Then on Sunday night, as I was falling asleep, I started seeing bright flashes in my eye. On Monday morning shortly after I woke up, I thought I saw a spider out of the corner of my left eye. But there was no spider and it kept dancing across my eye (super freaky). Then after about half an hour of that, it felt like the spider exploded and it's legs rained down in my eye for about fifteen minutes. Monday was a stat holiday here in Canada so my optometrist office was closed. So Dave and I headed to the ER. As I had experienced a headache and dizziness in the past week, they asked a whole ton of questions to see if I'd experienced a stroke (which I hadn't). I left the ER five hours later completely exhausted and with an emergency ophthalmologist appointment set for yesterday.

At that appointment, they did some tests and determined that I'd experienced vitreous detachment but not a retinal tear. The vitreous is fluid in your eye and when it detaches you see more floaters and it can lead to retinal tears or detachment. Thankfully, I did not have that happen, but it was very disconcerting. I've never had such larger floaters or so many all at once. So as I'm typing this, my pupils have been dilated for a few hours and everything feels really bright! So that's the latest in "minor irritations February" as Dave and I are starting to call it. Again, not a huge deal (in the end) but slightly stressful.

Now, on with the renovation report... Also, if you read my post yesterday you may remember me saying that I was barely home between 7:30am and 8pm last week so some of my pictures are a little dark, as many of them were taken at night. 

I was so excited to get home on Monday and see that they had installed the back splash. I LOVE IT!!! It totally reminds me of some of the house exteriors we saw in Portugal, which was my goal!

Additionally, they finished installing the flooring in the basement.

On Tuesday, they grouted the back splash and it looks even better!!!

Wednesday was a big day -- they set up both vanities -- in the main bathroom and the downstairs bathroom.

They added trim in the living room.

They primed in the bathroom and our bedroom. It just looks a lot more finished now that you can't see all the taping.

On Thursday they installed the basement toilet.

And they added taps for the basement bathroom, upstairs bathroom, and the kitchen sink!!!

Friday was SHOWER DAY!!! Rachel cleaned the shower on Friday night and Sam enjoyed the first one. Our main bathroom is basically complete (!!!) except for paint and installing the fan, the light, and the mirror!!! Oh and all the electrical outlets. We used a portable construction light to shower all weekend. Hahahahaha!!!

This is a better view of our bedroom (which is waiting for paint) and the kitchen sink during the day. We are able to wash dishes in this sink now so it's exciting to not have to haul our dishes up and down stairs.

And in surprising reno news, they took the toilet out of the powder room so they could work on the drywall behind it. It's now living in the (current) office until they can put it back. Thankfully the ones upstairs and in the basement work. Phew! 

So yes, there was a lot going on last week. We are able to use more of our house (kitchen sink, upstairs bathroom) which feels HUGE, even if the conditions are a bit rustic (makeshift lighting).

Learnings from the week:

We did it!!! We survived six weeks without a shower in our house! Go us! (And major thanks to our neighbours for travelling for six weeks and letting my mom and dad rent their house and to Tim & Janice who let us take over their basement bathroom for a few weeks.)

It turns out our dining room electricity can't support our fridge, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and the light. The breaker flipped a few times this week but I think we have figured out how to fix it and we won't usually have so much stuff plugged in in our dining room.

Mudding and trim take a long time and they don't look like a lot of progress is happening.

Even priming a room can make a HUGE difference in how it looks.

I'm so curious to see if any painting will happen this week. Fingers crossed... 

Friday Favourite Moments #6 2026 (On A Tuesday)

I am starting this post at 10:30 on Monday morning so that it might actually be ready for Friday morning this week. Hahaha! <-- And then I had a week where I was barely home between 7:30am and 8pm so I'm still behind on posting this. sigh.

We just had a long weekend here in Canada and mine was filled with minor, irritating health issues that took up almost the whole weekend. There's nothing serious going on -- just some stuff to get checked out -- so I didn't get this post finished this past weekend either. Some weeks (months) are like that. Without further ado, here are my favourite moments from last week.

1) Sam and the Olympics

While I've found the Olympics a little "blah" this time around, Sam is really into them. He's talked more about the Olympics than I've heard him talk in a long time so I've enjoyed hearing his perspective and seeing his enthusiasm.

2) Rachel and Peter & The Wolf

Rachel's dance studio performed Peter & The Wolf with the Chamber Orchestra. The Sr Youth came to watch her perform in one of the shows and I loved that they supported her in this way. Another favourite moment from the week was on Wednesday when I was volunteering during the show. I wasn't going to watch it again but the studio director told me and my friend (who I was volunteering with) to come in for free, so we got to sit in the front row. I enjoyed the up close view I got!

3) Delicious snacks

Our car wasn't working again last weekend so we borrowed our friends' car to do an errand out of town. While we were out, my friend asked if she could make us some snacks. I was so touched and the food she made (Tortilla Pinwheels) were so good!!!

Then on Monday, a co-worker brought in some extra Nacho Dip from a SuperBowl party she'd been to. I love starting off a Monday with Nacho Dip!!!

4) Walking Errands

As I said above, our car was in the shop again last week. Thankfully it was only for one day. I was super thankful that even though we had to go to the dentist, optometrist, credit union, and out for supper, we live close enough to all these things that we could walk. I was also thankful for nice weather as Rachel and I was outside for almost an hour and a half doing all these errands!

5) Clearing the sidewalk

Our sidewalk has been buried under layers of snow since early January. It was nice enough this past week that one afternoon I started chipping away at the snow/ice and it only took about fifteen-twenty minutes to clear our sidewalk. Yay! This is one of my favourite moments of the year when we see clear sidewalks again!!!

6) Clear street

People in our area were giddy last week because the snow clearing equipment finally got to our neighbourhood!!! Their timing wasn't great but from 6:20am until 10am, they cleared our road and scooped up all the snow to take it away. Sadly, they left a two foot mound in front of our driveway so Dave couldn't get to work until they'd cleared it away a few hours later but our street has been so much nicer to drive on. Friends were posting about their excitement on social media and everyone was just so happy!!!

See the snowplow in the middle of the street?!?

So those were my favourite moments from last week -- nothing too big -- just a break from some of the snow and ice and moments with my kids. Hopefully I will have some more time at home in the evenings this week and not feel quite so frazzled by this coming weekend. And if my health issues would get sorted out, that would be lovely too :)