Sadly, Family Day once again will be affected by COVID! However, we aren’t about to let it ruin our day. Here are a few of my favourite ways to celebrate Family Day!
1. PUT THE PHONES AWAY –spend the day disconnected! 2. Watch a movie –complete with epic snacks 3. Paint Night –I recommend putting on an episode of Bob Ross and following along 4. Make cookies and decorate them 5. Do a puzzle 6. Make some relaxation or fidget toys –there are tons of DIY tutorials on YouTube 7. Play boardgames 8. Do a workout together –the Nike Training Club app has lots of options 9. At home spa treatments –you can make your own face mask with household ingredients, or you can order some really good quality (yet inexpensive) ones from Sephora 10. Colouring 11. Go for a walk 12. Ice skating 13. Build a snowman –which could end with an impromptu snowball fight 14. Go through closets, toy boxes and the pantry and select items that can be donated to charity/foodbank 15. Have family storytime –you are never to old to have someone read you a story; perfect way to cuddle up 16. Build a Lego kit 17. Have a family video game tournament 18. Cook a meal together 19. Karaoke / Dance Party 20. Build a bird feeder –there are a ton of patterns and kits online
Spent a wonderful weekend with my best girlfriends at the Hotel Macdonald. We spoiled ourselves and booked a room on the 8th floor –with access to the Gold Lounge and got a tour of the Queen Elizabeth Suite. I highly recommend staying here. The staff, the food, the room and amenities were incredible! Take a look at our adventure!…
I was gifted an awesome journal for Christmas last year; Picadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts. I am still working my way through it! I wanted to share my most recent entry with you…
Some may find Valentine’s Day corny; but personally in this fast paced world; in this isolating pandemic, I think it’s especially important to slow down and connect. Some will say, you don’t need a commercialized day to do this –but at its core it is a day to celebrate love; something we need a whole lot more of right now!
I put together a few gift guides –you can celebrate romantic love, platonic love or the love you have for yourself!
Finally got the chance to go to Houston, TX with my husband; there was so much to see and such great food to try! Here are our Houston Highlights (and some are future highlights; as COVID interfered with us being able to check out all of them, sadly)…
1. Buffalo Soldiers Museum *The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum tells the story of the historic Buffalo Soldiers, and the history of African Americans in the US military.
2. Houston Center for Photography *The photographs are breathtaking; they also offer classes in addition to the exhibits.
4. The Waterwall Park *It’s a little piece of paradise in the bustling city; listening to the water rush while walking among the mighty oaks is super relaxing.
I have been known to eat interesting culinary concoctions that make my husband wince. I have found a few weird and wonderful recipes that even he enjoys. Here are my top three…
1. Apple Dumplings courtesy of The Pioneer Woman –>Whoever would have thought that Mountain Dew + Pillsbury Crescent Rolls + Apples = Heaven; certainly not me –but it does!
2. Strange But True Casserole courtesy of Grey Eyes on allrecipes.com –>I stumbled upon this during a cold snap; I wanted a warm comforting dish and I was tired of all my other casserole recipes.
3. Bacon, orange marmalade & avocado sandwich with everything bagel seasoning on rye bread. –>I’m always experimenting with sandwich fillings; I love sandwiches, I could eat them morning, noon and night. This combo is sweet, salty and satisfying.
When I am not curled up on the couch with a good book; I am curled up with a magazine. I have numerous subscriptions…which may seem outdated in our digital world –but just like books, nothing beats flipping through the crisp pages and the smell, my goodness, the smell!! Magazines allow us to decompress or unplug, increase our knowledge and, “[b]ecause they prioritize visual aesthetics throughout their pages, not just on the covers, magazines create a highly sensory reading experience, which improves memory,” (BPS).
I was gifted an awesome journal for Christmas last year; Picadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts. I am still working my way through it! I wanted to share my most recent entry with you…
I spent the last month and a half checking out a new author, Wilbur Smith. My husband is a longtime fan and has been ‘suggesting’ that I read the books. And, I should have known that he was going to be right… I LOVED them!
Smith has several series: The Courtney Series, The Ballantyne Series and the Ancient Egypt Series.
I started with The Courtney Series; there are a couple ways to read these novels. They can be read in order of publishing date or in terms of the historical eras. I chose the historical era route; which is broken down into THREE parts. The order of the parts is as follows: Part 3, Part 1 and Part 2.
Part 2 (1917-1987)
1. Burning Shore This novel follows Sean Courtney’s first son Michael, who meets and impregnates Centaine, however, tragedy strikes and Michael dies on their wedding day. Sean Courtney steps in and sends Centaine and her entourage to South Africa but she becomes shipwrecked after her ship is sunk by the Germans. Through sheer will and determination Centaine survives and even gives birth in the wilderness. Eventually, she is tracked down by an outlaw named Lothar De La Rey; whom she falls in love with and has a child with. Their relationship dissolves after Centaine discovers Lothar killed the San people who helped her. She leaves Lothar and abandons their son, Manfred. Centaine becomes a wealthy woman after opening up a mine at the “Place of All Life,” a special place the San showed her. She is also reunited with the rest of the Courtney family.
2. Power of the Sword The Depression has hit hard and Centaine’s mine is struggling against De Beers. Her two sons Michael Shasa and Manfred De La Rey, do not know they are half brothers, find themselves on opposing sides continually throughout their lives. Manfred struggles while Michael tends to prosper. Manfred becomes a boxer and member of a pro-Afrikaner group. Both men compete in the 1936 Olympics for South Africa. While in Germany, Manfred falls in love with Heidi and becomes “The White Sword,” his mission is to kill the Prime Minister of South Africa as a way to destabilize the country. When the plan hits a snag, Manfred and Michael meet again; while their saga continues –dissatisfaction is spreading among the black workers, leading to the rise of Mandela, Botha and the African National Congress.
3. Rage Following WW2, anti-Apartheid rage is growing. Michael and Manfred discover their true familial connection. Michael is lured by the National Party with the promise of power and position. The ANC’s military wing (The Spear of the Nation) under the control of Gama and Tabaka seek vengeance against the very base of Apartheid. Gama usings Michael’s wife, Tara against him after seducing her and having a son with her. Gama plots to take down the government brutally. Manfred and Michael form an alliance to stop Gama and prevent a bloody revolution; however it is too late… the “rage burns brightly.” Michael also discovers that Manfred killed his uncle.
4. Golden Fox Michael and Tara’s youngest daughter, Isabella is the protagonist of this novel. She lives in London with her father who is now the South African Ambassador. Cunning Ramon, lures Isabella into Operation Golden Fox. Ramon is not who he appears to be. He is not a Spanish noble, but a KGB agent who is also related to Fidel Castro. Isabella gives birth to a son named Nicholas; Ramon and the baby disappear. Nicholas is tortured as a way to convince Isabella to betray her country and her father. On behalf of the KGB she spies on Armscor to obtain information on how the nuclear weapons will be used in the South African Border War. Once her espionage is discovered; the Courtney’s embark on a mission to resume Nicholas and unite him with Centaine, his great grandmother.
5. Time to Die Isabella’s brother, Sean Jr was a high ranking Rhodesian Army commander; he has since turned his efforts and occupation to hunting. He is prompted to find a legendary elephant upon the detah of one of his clients. On his journey he is accompanied by Claudia; the beautiful daughter of his friend. Unfortunately, she is abducted by anti-government forces, Renamo. To save her, Sean Jr is forced to work with Renamo. Sean has to steal missiles for General China, so they can be used to take for the Hind Helicopter fleet –the major obstacle in the way of General China’s goal of decimating the Frelimo government. Sean and Claudia must try to escape South Africa amidst a bloody war between the Renamo and Frelimo.
