Missed It By One

Don't tell me I'm the only one who gets excited when I see zeros on my odometer.

Today, it happened -- 56,000 miles. Yes, miles. It's an American car in my Canadian world.

Anyway, the zeros came today, and I missed it, BY ONE! Oh well, there's always next time. Only 999 miles to go!

Fave Rave: Pledge Wood Floor cleaner

A while back, friends commented on how shiny and clean our wood floors looked.

I let them in on my little secret -- Pledge Wood Floor cleaner.

I know most people will say to just use water and vinegar but every so often (mainly when we have guests coming over) I like having that freshly polished look. All I do is use a little of the Pledge solution straight from the bottle and wipe clean with my microfiber mop.

No water, no buckets, no mess!

I used it on the laminate floors in the basement the other day and they turned out just as shiny (picture above)!

We All Scream For Ice Cream!

Lucas and I enjoying our ice cream cones
at The Village Ice Cream Shoppe in Pickering Village, ON

After an afternoon of swimming at one of our local community centres, Lucas and I made a detour on our way home and stopped for an ice cream. This was our second time going to the The Village Ice Cream Shoppe in Pickering Village, one of my favourite little spots around here.

This time, Lucas picked Banana (instead of Triple Tornado or Cotton Candy, I was shocked) and I picked Moose Tracks. YUM!

The Village Ice Cream Shoppe is stocked with Kawartha Dairy ice cream which I love. Kawartha Dairy reminds me of my childhood. Every summer for five years or so my family would drive to a cottage in Bancroft (about 3 hours north east of Toronto) and stop at Kawartha Dairy for ice cream on the way. The scoops were massive and almost impossible to finish -- yes, almost. I remember enjoying Maple Walnut as a kid. Forget bubble gum or cotton candy, this girl was being a true Canadian and divulging in one of Canada's best treats, the good ol' taste of maple syrup!

Eight years ago, Steve and I stopped off at Kawartha Dairy on our way to our honeymoon destination (Bear Trails Couples Resort in Algonquin Park which I'll talk about more at another time) mainly so I could reminisce but also to enjoy a tasty treat. While they had renovated the store, the ice cream was still as good as I remembered it and the scoops were just as big too!

Last Of The Summer Blooms

It's a bit cool outside this morning and only going up to 20 degrees today -- a reminder that summer will soon be ending so I better take in all the sunshine and warmth I can get.

I wandered around in the backyard the other day (the whole 20 or so steps it takes me to get from one side to the other) looking at the last of the summer blooms. I added a new garden about a month ago with Daylilies, Black Eyed Susan's, a climbing rose, climbing Kiwi and a few other plants. I also added a Dappled Willow Standard. I planted a Rose Of Sharon in the corner of the garden but it will soon be too big for that spot. I'll have to find another location for it in my tiny backyard. Maybe I'll have to make another garden. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it!

I am...

snacking on some Garden Veggie Straws that I bought from Costco on the weekend. They're very tasty!

Back To School Shopping: Backpack

The back to school shopping has started. I can't believe Luke's going into Senior Kindergarten this September. My little boy is growing fast.

We went out last week to get a new backpack. I thought he would want one with Transformers, Batman or Spiderman on it but instead he picked one from The Children's Place.

I've heard great things about these backpacks, specifically that they last.

I like all the different pockets the backpack has. A main pocket, a middle pocket that I like to put his snacks in, a front pocket dedicated for a lunch bag and side mesh pockets for his water bottle. It even has a small pocket by the handle for miscellaneous items (Kleenex, notes, etc.).

I'm excited for him to try this one out!

I am...

enjoying a big hunk of white slab cake with lots of icing -- a corner piece. YUM!

Skirt Dress

I saw this idea on another blog I follow. I decided to give it a try yesterday for my sushi lunch date with S.

The skirt is full-length pulled up to become a dress!

Dress and sash belt are from Jacob
Sunglasses are from Winners
Shoes are from Old Navy

I am...

sitting outside enjoying a glass of Voga and thinking how happy I am that the new hose for the vacuum worked out!

A Toast To Vacuums

I had to take my computer in to the shop yesterday to get de-trolled. It was doing some weird thing every time I used the internet. When I clicked on a link opening a new screen, the address bar would have another site in it (not the site I was trying to get to). Then the screen would freeze. I would have to do the dreaded ctrl+alt+del to close the program and start all over only for it to happen again, and again....and again. GAH!

Seems to be working fine now...knock on wood.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a Mac. Our laptop has been shot for awhile now, and although the price of a Mac is double what PCs go for, I may have to reconsider. This whole virus thing is pissing me right off!

Anyway, I did a bit of running around today, trying to get errands done while the kids were out of the house.

I'm excited to say, I'm the proud owner of a new expandable hose from Beam for my central vacuum. Yes, you heard me right, I AM EXCITED!


I wanted something that I could use on hardwood and ceramic to clean up crumbs and cat hair and that didn't take up a lot of room. This expandable hose is the perfect addition to our central vac. It weighs a lot less than my other hose and it's compact -- stretches from about 8 feet to 20 or 30 feet. I hated lugging my other hose around the house. It was so awkward and heavy to carry up and down the stairs and since my cleaning lady brings her own vacuum, I really don't need the big one to clean up a few dust bunnies off the floor.

I can't wait to vacuum the main floor tomorrow! Um, did I really say that?

I also bought some wine today. My friend called my cell as I was in the liquor store. I told her where I was and she said she had some wine on the weekend that she liked. I could have been standing anywhere in the liquor store but as she was telling me the name of the wine, I happened to look on the shelf in front of me and there it was.


It's called Voga Italia Pinot Grigio. I'm loving the look of the bottle and I'm hoping I'll be as equally pleased with what's inside the bottle.

I can't wait to try it!

Cheers!