Our Sunday Morning - Wee Ones Party

We celebrated Lil C's 2nd birthday with his (and mine) mom group friends. We have an annual party to celebrate them, and our journeys, as this group has been together since our prenatal prep days.

We had a picnic party in our favourite city park, and had cupcakes on hand for the wee ones to decorate themselves. I made vegan vanilla agave nectar cupcake from 'the' cupcake book (no need to name it, right?) and C decorated one with cream cheese icing and sprinkles. Here it is in action.

Our Sunday Morning - Mother's Day

We had a lovely day here. The cherry blossoms are out, finally, so we had a bike trip down to the park to enjoy them. I woke up to J teaching Lil C how to say "Happy Mother's Day" and was treated to hand-picked flowers and pancakes for breakfast. With Champagne no less!

Happy Day indeed.

Our Sunday Morning - Easter Sunday

We had a busy weekend, packed with visits with close friends and family. Aunt J, this post is for you as you inspired me to write a post (sorry for the delay folks) tonight as i promised!

We decorated 2 dozen eggs with Lil C and his Baba. Some were made by staining with onion peel, others we used tissue paper as a wet wrap, and the rest were dipped in food colouring - C loves dipping the eggs in their pools. So, what does a vegan do with 2 dozen cooked eggs? Promptly give lots to friends at our annual potluck dinner. Speaking of that dinner, wait until my next post when i can share the amazing feast we made. Homemade Tofu Roast - need i say more...

For now, here's C during his first ever egg hunt. He doesn't eat chocolate but he loves finding things, so this game was a delight.

Our Sunday Morning - Animal Pool

We're back from a two-week trip to the West Coast. It was a bit of a bonanza, but i'll get into that at another post, where i can share with you highlights (including a great trip to Astoria and Cannon Beach, Oregon - we had such yummy vegan treats there!).

For now, a day late, but here's a photo of our morning yesterday. Lil C fell in love with dolphins when he met them for the first time at the Vancouver Aquarium. Since he can't say 'aquarium' we worked on 'animal pool' and this is our version of it. We worked on the garden in the morn and he kept busy splashing away.

Our Sunday Morning - Warm and Cozy

We went out yesterday (Sunday) after another snowstorm came upon us. We didn't want it to hinder our plans, so Lil C got dressed up (again) in his winter suit. We lovingly call it his seal suit. It's a doubly knit one-piece suit that was made in Iceland. We got it locally at an amazing store, Mjolk but they only had the one for sale. Too bad, i get so many folks asking me about it! They do sell adult sizes, though...

Our Sunday Morning - New Seating

My parents recently returned from a trip down south and came home with a lovely new chair for Lil C. It's darling, but we just have to help C see that it's chair and not something that's scary. The first time he sat in it, he sunk back and that scared him, so he has yet to return. Once his wee friends sit in it, i'm sure he'll love it again!

It's a hand-made replica of the original Alcapulco chair, made also in Mexico where my parents had this hand-made version made. Notice how Martha Stewart's Living magazine also featured it recently?
It's very fitting beside our new Womb chair. Of course, it's not an original but we won't ever be able to afford one, but we just love the design and the name is so fitting. C and i love to cuddle in it daily, to read, snack, nurse, cuddle, cry, laugh, and more.

Our Sunday Morning - Meeting a New Friend

We welcomed a new friend into the world this week, and i ran over to deliver some freshly made Pumpkin Spice Muffins (from The Joy of Vegan Baking) and this cute Owl Cozy Bag. A perfect way to get cozy when you're born in February, i think!

Our Sunday Morning-Feeding Time

Here's Lil C and i getting ready to pack up our hotel on our last day in Ottawa. He sure loves his breastmilk, aka 'mulk' in his words!

We were in our nation's capitol this weekend, celebrating an amazing and well deserved award for my father-in-law. Besides some great family time, we have officially entered a new way of vacationing. I used to go to neighbourhoods to check out their stores and restaurants, now i go where Lil C can play and shop at baby stores. Regardless, we have a lovely time even though it was -30.

Here are some fun things to do if you ever make it to Ottawa:

- Museum of Nature - the interactive exhibits are great for toddlers!
- Byward Market - to warm up, look for Beaver Tails (the pastry), stock up on maple syrup...
- Victoire - an amazing indie clothing store that specializing in local and Canadian-made clothes and accessories.
- Scone Witch - no blog, sorry but well worth it (no vegan scones though)
- skating on the canal
Oh, and since we struggled a bit with tasty, vegan and toddler friendly places to go to, here's a list from Happy Cow that showcases great vegan and vegetarian restaurants.

Our Sunday Morning - Shaking the Dressing

We were visiting family today and took a mixed bean and veg salad with us for lunch. As i was shaking the salad dressing, C wanted to help out. So, i passed him the jar and he had fun helping mama shake! I only got the before and after photos, of course.

Here's the recipe if you want a quick and easy salad to go:

Quick Bean and Veg Salad

2 cup chick peas, cooked or from a can and rinsed
2 cup corn kernels
2 cups carrots, cut into small cubes
1 apple, cubed
1 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh watercress, chopped
optional - cheese cubes, smoked tofu cubes, red peppers, celery

Just cut all ingredients, place in bowl and refridgerate with dressing for at least 30 minutes

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp pear juice
1 garlic, minced
1 tsp miso
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Place in mason jar and give it a shake!

Our Sunday Morning - Apple Sauce

We had a lovely and quiet day at Chez JVC. After a busy weekend of seeing friends, hosting a dinner party, and having overnight friends, nothing finishes it off better than staying indoors in your comfy clothes.

While C had his nap, i took the time to make apple sauce. We get a bi-weekly food box and always get the same staples. You know, carrots, potatoes, greens, and apples. So, as C loves 'appy' so much, i thought this was great chance for him to have some homemade stuff!

There are many apple sauce recipes out there, but i didn't want to add anything, especially sugar. So we loosely followed Get it Ripe's recipe (always a good reference for healthy cooking regardless) and it is perfect. Eight medium apples to one cup of water and bowl for 20-30 min! Done.

Our Sunday Morning - Last Week and Now

As i got so busy last week with making presents and otherwise getting ready for our festivities, i never got around to upload photos, let alone post here. So, here are 2 photos - 1 from what we did last Sunday Morning and what happened today..as we are back home after a whirlwind family visit extravaganza!!

Oh, and Happy Belated Solstice to you as well....

We made truffles for the first time, and wanted to share them as gifts. Last Sunday, we finished them off after doing most of the work Saturday night. We made two kinds - Cream Earl Grey Milk Chocolate (for our non-vegan friends) and Dark Chocolate Fudge. The second recipe i got from jae steele's great book Get it Ripe. I sprinkled it with cinnamon and cocoa but otherwise i followed the recipe. Fun to make, a big process, and a bit messy. I am happy with the taste of both but definitely need to work on my coating technique.
This is Li'l C and i at my parents house this morning. He loves the camera, almost as much as he loved all the family, company, and attention he got this weekend!

Our Sunday Morning - Tree Trimmings

We bought our tree last night, and set it up to decorate today. We are lucky enough to live in a neighbourhood that has a farmer himself come in to sell organic trees from about 3 hours from us. He talked about the culture shock of staying in Canada's biggest city for these last 2 weeks, but i know i would say the same if i was in his shoes!
Anyway, here are two photos to describe this morning. Lil C has helped me put together this yo-yo garland over these last few weeks, and he especially enjoys wearing it as a boa. And, we all enjoyed some festive drinks - C had rice milk with cinnamon, J had Soynog with whiskey, and i had Soynog with Amaretto. Yum!!!

Our Sunday Morning - Chocolate Mint Soy Drinking

We've had a relaxing weekend over at JVC house. Right now, i'm about to do some work that i have to prep for tomorrow - i'm going to work on a non-work day to host an event in honour of the Montreal Massacre anniversary.

In order to enjoy the work a bit more, i've poured myself a glass of some festive Chocolate Mint Soymilk, in my holiday glass. Cheers, i guess...

Our Sunday Morning - Hallway

We finally finished updating our hallway today. We painted it a month ago, and put up new photos and light fixtures. Then, J restructured this old stereo console into a hallway table and shoe shelf (hidden behind the bottom black doors). Didn`t he do such an amazing job, it truly betters our space -not as crowded and hectic! But the finishing touch was this art work we did as a team - Home Sweet Home. We think it ties the spaces well - from foyer entrance to hallway. It also blends together the colours and fabric we used for the new look.

Our Sunday Morning - WIP

While the boys were outside braving the misty weather, i got some quality time in the workroom. After reorganizing all my WIP's and prioritizing them (from hemming clothes, to finishing projects, to ahem starting projects), i got to make a wee dent in the pile.

Here's a glimpse at a soon to be finished art project that will be the finishing touch to our newly updated front hallway.

Our Sunday Morning

After a quick coffee and smoothie at our favourite local brunch spot (Cool Hand of a Girl for you Toronto readers), we zipped into another fave spot (Mrs. Huizenga's Junction) and bought Lil C the classic old Fisher Price camera that's been in the window all week. As he loves our cameras and electronics, and we're trying to not have them around him too much, we thought this might keep him busy for a while. Not only does he loves gadgets, he loves getting his photo taken!

Our Sunday Morning - Pumpkin Carving

We worked on turning our lovely ole pumpkin to a Jack-O-Lantern this morning. We only got to cut open the pumpkin and clean it out before C's nap, but this was the best part for him anyway! He was a little hesitant at first, but then when he saw that working on the drum, i mean pumpkin involved a large spoon, he was right in there!

Our Sunday Morning (wet one)

It's a rainy Sunday here, so we plan on staying indoors for the most part, doing final Halloween/Sanheim decorations. Li'l C will also most likely doodle a bit, and we have some new leaves and gourds from our trip to the Pumpkin farm yesterday to play with.

Our Sunday Morning

I'm thinking of starting a new post entitled "Our Sunday Morning", inspired by some other blogger's weekly posts. But, as i work outside the home + in the home, i think doing something on weekends is more do-able for me. I wish i had time to do all the crafts i have on my to-do and inspiration lists, let alone take photos of them!

This will also keep me active with my blog in general, as at times life gets in the way... But i can at least upload the pictures i take, as i still am taking a lot of them weekly, and sometimes daily.

Now that Lil C is 15 months old, his adventures both in the home and outside it have increased exponentially! He is drawing, walking, dancing, singing, and helping mommy in the kitchen. Helping daddy of course too.

He has figured out how to use the stepstool in the kitchen, which is both exciting and a bit scary. But, getting moments like this photo captures is worth it - he not only helped me clean, he discovered more about himself and our home. Lovely.

Oh, and please excuse both my baggy pj bottoms and messy kitchen - we're in the middle of redoing the backsplash!