Ready for October

I finally picked up a Halloween mug. When I first saw this at the store last week, I wasn't sure I liked it, so I left it there. I'm happy to say I went back tonight and bought it. Now that I'm drinking a hot chocolate out of it, I think it's just perfect. I love how the witch is flying behind a spider web. It's a Hallween mug that isn't kidding around.

Really looking forward to using this mug for pumpkin spice lattes throughout October.

Steak and a (Sweet) Potato #FoodPicFriday

I realized this summer that I love sweet potato on the BBQ. We soften it a little in the microwave and finish it on the grill and it adds an amazing smoky flavour to it. So good. I could eat a sweet potato every day, and this meal I had one with a steak and some Sidekicks (Singapore Curry Noodles, our favourite).

Coldwater Steampunk Festival - Other Happenings

We attended the Coldwater Steampunk Festival earlier this summer and I've previously posted about the amazing costumes and the dazzling art. For the final round up of the event, here are some odds and ends of the fun we had that day.

One of the highlights of the festival was a knight fight in the street. We missed their first fight that was scheduled and in the park, but later in the day they took to the street for another battle. It was like a game of road hockey where they had to move off to the side when a car came. Hilarious! The knights were fun to watch and put on a good show for the crowd.

Knight street fighter

Real swords!

Knight fight!

Attack!

Knight fist bump - love it!

Happy knight

There was also a Birds of Prey show in the afternoon. There was lots of information to take in, but the bird handler didn't have a microphone so it was hard to hear all the amazing stuff barn owls do.

Another highlight was a steam powered corn roaster. They were selling the roasted corn for only fifty cents! Super deal and super delicious.

Our last stop of the day was the Coldwater Legion for some french fries and a few rounds of the meat draw (buy a ticket, maybe win a roast). It was a lot of fun and everyone at the Coldwater Legion was super nice and welcoming.

I'm already looking forward to next year! I wonder if I will put a costume together?

Tired and Grumpy Monday Blog

I spent much of the weekend in bed fighting something off. And even though I spent most of my time laying down, sleep only came in pockets, so I am completely wiped today. And grumpy. And probably cranky too.

The crummy thing about me feeling bad is that it was John's birthday over the weekend. I had a plan to make a new cake recipe, but just did not have the energy to do it. We ended up having a store bought cake to celebrate, but I have to say I have had waaaaayyyy better store bought cakes. You know I'm grumpy if I am getting mad at cake!

Also realized over the weekend that our car is making a sound that we can't ignore. I'm taking it into the mechanic today and hoping it just needs a little something and not a whole lottta something.

There is some good news to report: I finished my first week of my second 28 day reboot. I am no longer relying on my mostly broken pedometer, so have been gauging my progress on timed walks. Last week I was "on a walk" for 165 minutes (2.75 hours). My goal for the second week is 4 hours of walking. I'm hoping to do more than that, but setting my goal realistically (seeing as I'm starting the week off tired and cranky). But I will be walking back from the mechanic shortly, so at least that is something.

How was your weekend? What is the best store bought cake you ever had? Mine was a huge slab cake we got from Zehrs in Barrie for my parents 25th wedding anniversary. It was delicious. I found a photo of it and it made me smile, so maybe I'm going to beat this grump after all.

Farmer Raised Chicken #FoodPicFriday

My brother Tommy raised some chickens this year and I was eager to buy one. Coming in at 5lbs, this chicken was huge and tasted better than I could have imagined. I'm not exactly sure what makes locally raised meat taste so good, but there is definitely something to it. I made a bunch of sides and we had a big meal that lasted two days and kept us really full. It was really quite lovely.