Canada Day was fun! Ange, Colin, and Monica joined us. Dave and Ewa were there in spirit! They just bought a house so they had some last minute house prep to do on Canada Day to put their house on the market. We got to have them over Saturday night though, so it was nice to catch up with them!
Do you like our makeshift ‘patio set’ made up of hand me down chairs and a worn Ikea table? ;) It did the trick for now! We would like to buy a new set at some point.
The décor was a bunch of mini Canada Day flags! And one lone gal in her fav red Target dress…;)
And also, some wild flowers that were picked on our afternoon walk.
But Ange’s flowers stole the show! Look at the gorgeous gerbera daisies she gave me. :)
Dinner was great! Ange brought a chickpea salad with a homemade strawberry glaze, I made my Weekend Glow Kale Salad (made with garden kale!), we grilled pineapples, and Colin brought chicken to BBQ for the meat eaters. I was also going to grill veggie burgers, but after my bad reaction on Thursday I am staying clear of anything soy until I get tested. I also ran out of time to make my own burgers! It ended up being more than enough though and dinner was great.
Grilled pineapples are the best! Try them with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon.
I drank too much beer! I had 4 or 5 which is a lot for me these days.
After dinner, we walked about 20 mins. to catch some fireworks and I demonstrated how NOT to take a good photograph…!
Eric said, ‘Don’t quit your day job!’
:-\
We also failed miserably at getting a picture together…
Drank more beer after returning. Clearly I needed it…. ;)
Then, it was out like a light…
(That was actually another picture of the fireworks!)
Yesterday, we went on a walk along Lakeshore in Oakville and Burlington as it was a beautiful day (although VERY humid).
We also started the process of going through each room and getting rid of unwanted household items. I started on the laundry room and kitchen and Eric started on the basement. I can’t believe how much crap we’ve collected since we moved in!
It’s amazing how many ‘things’ can accumulate in a home. It feels so good to give away what we don’t need and only keep the essentials. My kitchen cupboards are only half full now and I’m only keeping the things I use on a regular basis. Today, I’m tackling the office which is going to be a huge process!
We also did a little dog sitting for Dave and Ewa while people came to look at their house. :) Hi Benny!
This morning, we went out for a 3 mile bike + run (him on bike, me on foot). I busted my butt on this run and had a great negative split!
Mile 1: 8:50
Mile 2: 7:34
Mile 3: 7:35
It was hot, hilly, and windy and I was POOPED! I really gave that run everything I had in me. Felt great after. Workouts don’t have to be long to be effective!
Today I’m organizing and purging our office (ahhhh) and Eric is working on the deck stairs. Tonight, we’re capping off the weekend with a picnic at the beach. Should be fun!
Have a good one. :)
Sounds like a wonderful Canada Day! Those salads look delish!
I feel like this post perfectly captures the spirit of a fun holiday weekend. i’m inspired now to make my weekend a bit more fun. Gorgeous scenery, those wild flowers are so pretty!
Soounds like a great weekend aha! we Cannucks know how to celebrate eh? eh? hahah. I love grilling fruits on the bbq. Peaches and plums are my fave, I’ve never tried grilled pineapple though!
Sounds like an absolutely amazing time! Way to rock out a great run…you go girl!!
I LOVE your daisy pictures! So pretty and they are my favorite flower :)
It’s hard to take pictures of fireworks!! I can never get a good one either so don’t feel bad; you aren’t alone haha. :)
Aww, Angela, fireworks are tough to capture on film!! No worries!
cinnamon on the pineapple is a great idea! i throw it on basically everything already so what is one more thing!
4-5 beers is a lot for me! Especially if I have them in a few hours time — seriously I can’t remember the last time I did that!
We are doing some cleaning too — we have the same problem: too much junk/crap in the house!
You have taught me how to cook amazing vegan food that will shock my friends when I tell them it’s vegan. Now if only (IF ONLY!) you could teach me how to be a runner. My jeans would fit much better if I could run as well as I can cook :)
awwww :) Everyone starts somewhere! You can check out my post how I started running: http://ohsheglows.com/2009/08/20/my-running-journey-from-1-minute-to-10-miles/
My run almost killed me this morning! I was waiting for the wind to show up, but never did!! I was all blotchy, but really wanted to stop at the health food store for some spinach after. The lady must not have noticed my tomato-like face!
I LOVE Lakeshore. My grandparents live in Oakville right on the lake. It would be ever so nice to have that house passed down to me (crossing fingers lol)
Happy cleaning!!!
This weekend I have spent much of it donating and decluttering. I brought over FOUR CARLOADS stuffed to the max with donation items to the thrift shop (thankfully it’s just down the block). Have only been here 12 mos and have moved tons in the past but stuff in storage just…multiples. I swear, it really does :) and I need to declutter and donate. I think our weekend is probably parallel in that sense.
Except your grilled pineapple, your time with friends, and your 4-5 beers sound wayyyy better than anything else i’ve been doing!
Good luck on the rest of your projects this weekend!
Angela, this was such a fun post to read! And your photos from friday eve are a hoot!
What an absolutely perfect long weekend, eh! So glad you’ve had a mix of fun and productivity!
I went on a run this morning too and I looked even redder than you afterwards LOL!
Enjoy the rest of your long weekend!
GRILLED PINEAPPLES!!! OMG, I haven’t had those in forever! What a great idea! I love your attempts at snapping some firework shots… Mine will probably be worse!
Mmmmm… grilled pineapple! Yum! My favorite is grilled plums or peaches!
what a wonderful weekend!
I love the wild flowers and how you put small Candian flag together with. I love grilled pineapple. We have all year round supple of fresh pineapple here in the Philippines. Grilled pineapples are perfect to sandwich when put together with grilled eggplant and zucchini. :-)
Oh my goodness, I just read about your soy reaction. I’m so glad to hear you’re okay! You are the responsible person you are, but it’s good to hear you’re being careful. You are a wonderful photographer (I mean, look at those pictures!) It’s hard to take pics of fireworks. ;)
P.S. Those grilled pinapple slices look amazing. Don’t you just love caramelized fruits and veggies?
Looks like a great holiday celebration! Why have I never tried grilled pineapple???? Looks amazing.
And congratulations on that run!! Those are some awesome negative splits :D