From The Week

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Happy Friday! My weekend is full of work work work, so I guess it’s like…my Monday? Eww I can’t think like that. Just popping in real quick to share stuff from our week 🙂

Monday: After breakfast we headed to the zoo! It was such a gorgeous day out that we needed to take advantage. It also made me secretly happy to see several misbehaved children there because it made me feel better about my own child! We saw just about everything there and Wes has his first taste of Grandma’s froyo before we left.

Here’s the part where I toot my own horn about how I make the best french toast. ever.

Only downside to the day was that Wes fell asleep JUST as we arrived at the zoo so he only had a couple minutes of shut eye the whole day! By the late afternoon he was overtired and it was a 2 person chore (me and my mom) to get him down for a nap. Then when he did go down, the kiddo slept until 5pm when we finally needed to get him up. His schedule has been WHACK ever since my mom got here!

We had fajitas for dinner and somehow got wrangled into watching Dancing with the Stars. That show needs to END because there are no stars left to go on!

Tuesday: The dreaded shots day. Ugh. He screamed for all 3 pokes but quickly mellowed out when he got grandma snuggles. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and then decided to stay at the house just in case the dreaded side effects should kick in.

He seemed to be fine for a while, but as soon as we tried to hang out on the patio is when he went downhill. He got super whiny and lost his appetite. It’s no fair to him though, it was an incredibly hot day and he has been teething so he was really going through the trifecta.

We had some indoor naked time then mom and grandma decided margaritas needed to happen. PS: The Vitamix does an equally fantastic job at blending as the Margaritaville machine.

True story: at the exact moment I took this picture, Elmo said- AND I QUOTE- “Ok, Elmo’s done being upside down now” BAHAHA.

We had chicken sausages for dinner (so ugly to photo) and they were tasty!

Wes seemed to be hit pretty hard by the shots and he actually woke up in the middle of the night. I had a hard time holding him to get him back to sleep, so after 2 tries, Tyler went in and finally got him back down. So Tyler, if you’re reading this you can totally put Wes to sleep all the time now. You’re obviously better at it.

Wednesday: We had plans to go shopping for some clothes for Wes, but he ended up taking a 2 1/2 hour morning nap. I was able to finish my workouts, shower and get myself ready for orientation at my new job. I felt bad leaving my mom with a really irritable baby, but there was really nothing I could do.

Before I left, I was able to get some somewhat happy baby photos in the backyard. Muscle tees for the win!

My orientation went really well. I’m so excited for this part-time gig, but I’m also pretty darn nervous. Anything new scares me, but it’s in an industry that I love (hint: BEER) so I should be good 😉

For dinner, I made Hoisin Stir Fry Bowls with Spicy Peanut Sauce. It seems like every blogger in Alberta has been making this lately, so I needed to see what the heck the fuss was all about! Plus, we had practically all the ingredients already. The verdict? Delicious!

Thursday: My favorite day from the week! It all started with breakfast. Well, I did my workout first (I am slowly getting addicted to early EARLY morning workouts) then threw together a parfait that was out of this world yummy.

I mixed greek yogurt with peanut butter, layered with sliced bananas and some homemade blueberry maple pecan granola (recipe coming soon!) You guys, this is heaven in a jar. I grabbed a spatula to get all of the goodness out.

Once we all had breakfast, we headed out for a day of fun! As soon as we got in the car, I remembered I had a phone meeting so I had to pull over and my mom needed to distract Wes while I chatted for almost 30 minutes. Whoops!

Wes had to do some paperwork before we left.

We finally got on the road and I stopped to get my rings cleaned while Wes napped in the car. (anything to keep a sleeping baby sleeping!) Then we headed over to one of the fabric stores and picked out some adorable prints for a top secret sewing project (HOPEFULLY more on that later 😉 ).

Next, we headed over to the farmer’s market. We had some excellent coffee and perused the aisles for a bit before grabbing some salads to snack on. Wes even got to try some fresh fruit and loved it.

Then……ICE CREAM TIME. I seriously have no idea how I’ve never been to Village Ice Cream yet, but holy wow was it amazing. I sampled a few flavors before deciding on Salted Caramel- by far one of the best ice creams I’ve had. Wes was getting a bit antsy and I’m surprised I successfully managed to eat my cone without dropping it. We headed home shortly after so the little guy could crawl around sans pants.

Per the trend of the week, he fought his nap for a long time. Once he did konk out, I got to take the dogs for a walk/jog/run. Reggie keeps fake pooping so he can take a rest. No bueno, dog. We gotta keep moving!

Again, I had to wake him up just before 5 so that bed time wasn’t absolutely ruined. According to my math, any time I wake this child from slumber, I am in for a world of hurt. He is so irritable and clingy and whiny and pooey. Oh well, it could be worse!

We had been out for a majority of the day, so I didn’t give much of a thought towards dinner. I quickly whipped up some chicken, broccoli and quinoa. Borrrrrrrring, but tasty.

Oh, and today was our 4th wedding anniversary. Well, technically it wasn’t a wedding but it was the day we got married. On top of a mountain. Legally. We had only known each other 290 days and I already moved from Boston to Calgary to be with Tyler. Best day ever. Funny story: we used crappy $10 rings for the ceremony, but later that night he actually ‘officially’ proposed to me with a real ring! Cue all the feels.

I cracked open a bottle of some of our ‘special’ wine. It’s a bottle of Chardonnay we bought while in Napa while we were dating. Because it’s really romantic when he flies from Calgary and I fly from Boston and we meet in San Francisco and drive up to wine country together. Ah, to be dating again.

And for your viewing pleasure, here’s a photo from that day–>

wedding

Which brings us to….Friday! Guess that wasn’t really a quick post, sorry!

Small Shoppin’- Posh Panda

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Happy Thursday everyone! The week is almost to a close ALREADY. How does it happen so quickly?

Today I want to share with you an awesome small shop based out of Lethbridge, Alberta. Posh Panda is run by Kayla, a mother of two littles. She creates some of the cutest leather moccs and boots and I have been lusting for a pair ever since I started following her on Instagram. She locally sources all of her leathers and manages to find some of the best quality stuff!

poshpanda

As luck would have it, I was able to get a pair of black moccs just in time for Wes’s first birthday! Not only did I get the pair so last minute, but I was also able to meet Kayla in person to pick up the moccs since she was in town to purchase more leather! Although our meeting was brief, I could tell how much care she put into each pair (poet?). Plus, she had one of her babes with her and she was dressed to the nines! So cute.

Kayla had just redesigned the fit to accommodate both skinny and chunky ankles, and my son being on of the latter, was able to perfectly fit into the size 5/6. They were snug- but not tight- around his ankles and had lots of wiggle room to grow into.

I love the new branding on the bottoms! PS: Wes dresses better than I do.

Most important factor: the stay on! He wriggled and crawled all over the house for hours and neither even came close to making their way off his feet. That’s such great reassurance for taking him out of the house because I’m pretty sure it would be the worst feeling ever to lose one while on an outing!

He only cried because Layla wasn’t coming in his room! 😉

Not only does she make these classic moccs, but she also creates the most adorable lace moccs, moccs with bows, and boot moccs! There’s a size chart listed on her brand new website, but if you’re ever unsure, Kayla is super quick to respond to inquiries and could accommodate for special sizing.

If I ever have a girl, I need a pair of these Light Grey Striped Bow Moccs.

I still can’t get over how incredibly soft the leather is for these! Like butter. Now if only my boy would stop growing so darn fast so he could wear these for a long, long time.

Cleaning is super easy- just use wipes!

I think our next purchase will be these Iron Gray Classic Moccs or these Red Moccs (great gender neutral colors and perfect for holiday outfits!)

I can’t stress enough how important it is to shop small- not only are you supporting your local economy, but you are getting a higher quality product! Kayla is no exception- I can tell she works her butt of for her brand. Her new website is gorgeous, the product is on point, and her service makes you feel like you’re not just a customer, but a friend.

Make sure to check her out on Facebook and Instagram too!

American friends, don’t forget! Your dollar goes farther in Canada, so these would be a bargain 🙂

Thanks again to Kayla!!

Winemaker’s Dinner- Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Happy Winesday Wednesday! I know it has been a while since I have posted in this series and most of it is due to not really having anything to talk about! If I don’t have any new wines, beers, or experiences to share with you, then I have nothing to post! Luckily, I have a pretty rad topic this week and I’m really excited to share it 🙂

Last week, I was given the opportunity to attend the Grupo Penaflor Winemaker Dinner which took place at Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse in downtown Calgary.

Grupo Penaflor is ‘one of the top 10 wine producers in the world, Grupo Peñaflor is owned by the Bemberg family who pride themselves on their honest, ethical and responsible conduct, and their high quality, award-winning, and also great value, wines.’

I had never been to this restaurant before, and I was excited to check it out! Hey, anything that has steak in the name is a winner in my book! We had a slightly different dinner than the norm of what is served, but it was all to perfectly pair with the wines we were there to taste.

While known for the interactive “Rodizio” dining experience, Pampa chef and owner Joao Dachery also excels in dishes from the different regions of the country. We will be treated to an indulgent plated six-course meal, and hear from Juan Ignacio about the six superb wines that complement it.

I arrived at 6pm and was greeted with a welcome wine. It did NOT disappoint. I tried the white wine that was also being offered, but much more preferred the red as I waited for the dinner to begin.

It was a pretty odd feeling at first for me to be there by myself, but I knew once the wine got flowing it would be a lot more interactive with the other guests in attendance. PS: I didn’t drink the entirety of all my servings because I was driving home. And I managed to drink about 3 liters of water as well over the course of my almost 4 hours there.

The inside of the restaurant is big and open. I would love to come here again to enjoy the ‘normal’ dining experience and sample wines from their menu.

Never-ending meat? Yes please.

Back to the evening’s menu:

We were going to be treated to six courses. SIX.

Cheese bread was being passed around the reception area and although I didn’t want to spoil my dinner, I had to test one out. I could have eaten a plate full of those alone.

Just before 7pm, we were welcomed into the private dining room that was set up beautifully. All of the wine were on display and the large windows along one wall let in a lot of light. (Plus, we were able to make passersby jealous with all the wine and food)

The tables were arranged in a square and each side was a designated team for a variety of wine-related games. Winners were to receive a special treat at the end of the meal, and my team was quick to start on winning!

After a brief introduction by the organizers of the experience and another by the wine representative, we started with the first course: small bites of beef carpaccio, mango chutney prawns on papa toast, and a twist on the classic empanada. I opted out of the prawn.

It was paired with OPI Chardonnay that was so light and tasty I would have never guessed it was a chardonnay! Notes on this wine: The grapes for this are harvested far from the coastline. Typically, vineyards are located along the coast and this particular vineyard is so inland that it does not get the ocean breeze or any other normal factors you’d see in a coastal wine.

At this point, I either wanted a whole plate of this to myself or for the second course to come out immediately because I was HUNGRY. I have the hardest time with patience when it comes to multiple-course meals.

Our second course didn’t sound as appetizing to me from reading the menu, but holy moly was it ever delicious: mini marinated leg of lamb skewers with Pampa mint sauce and coconut milk mashed potato. It was paired with Don David Malbec which ended up being my favorite wine of the evening. Notes on this wine: The presenter talked about how this was from the highest vineyard in the world located in the northernmost part of Argentina. The atmosphere then gives it a completely different tasting profile than other malbecs. SO GOOD.

Also, I am definitely making mashed potatoes with coconut milk from now on. Mind= blown.

The organizer gave us another tidbit on wine with food: chew on herbs to get a completely different taste out of your wine! We all then chewed on the rosemary spring from this dish and agreed the wine came off so different…much more delicious!

Our third course was my favorite from the evening. (hint: because there’s bacon involved): chicken thighs wrapped with bacon and charcoal roasted with arugula, warm red wine vinegar and potato polenta. This was paired with PAZ Cab Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc. It was my second favorite wine of the evening and also complemented the dish well. Notes on the wine: PAZ means ‘peace’ and the winemaker created this with the intention of drinkers enjoying the wine with good company. (Check!) It tasted of blackberries and very herbaceous.

We were treated to 2 oz of each wine for the evening and I found it entertaining to watch the woman go around the table with multiple bottles to pour! Several attendees lucked out with a top up, but I politely declined since I was driving.

The fourth dish was my least favorite, only because I am not a seafood fan. There were some great flavors in the other parts of the serving, but I savored my wine instead. We had: sausage with calamari, chickpeas, and croutons. It was paired with Ciclos which is a 50/50 blend of Malbec and Merlot. It was my least favorite wine but I am attributing that to it being paired with my least favorite dish.

Our fifth course: rump steak with manioc flour and chimichurri. Whoa, this dish was so different to me and I LOVED it. The chimichurri had a good amount of heat to it and the ‘flour’ as explained by the chef, was intended to create texture. I really enjoyed this and the spice made for the corresponding wine to go down pretty easy. Notes on the wine: We were served Unanime which was a bordeaux blend comprised of 3 different varietals. It had lots of tannins which played so well with the steak.

For dessert we had passionfruit mousse with blueberry malbec reduction. Usually, I only want to have a chocolate inspired dessert, but I later discovered that this was the perfect ending to a meal paired with the variety of accompanying Argentinian wines. I appreciated that it was only a small plate, too. I could have eaten my weight in this!

Somewhere between courses 2 and 3, our team managed to complete one of the games and were pleasantly treated with shots of some sort of liqueur. I couldn’t hear exactly what it was, but it had been frozen in a block of ice for 2 days and is expertly poured from 6 feet in the air. I barely touched my lips to this because I didn’t need any more alcohol, and found not only was it of a syrupy consistency, but it tasted like toasted bananas…I think. Either way, it was a fun experience to watch how it was served!

I left the meal happily stuffed. Is there really anything else that needs to be said? The experience was so nice and I am intrigued to return to Pampa another time with Tyler to get the typical dining experience.

Have you been to Pampa? Tried any of the wines mentioned above?

Week + Weekender

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Whoa..talk about a wonderful and crazy week! The amazing weather hardly makes it feel like the weekend is winding down and having my mom here with us makes it even better! I didn’t get to do a recap of the week on Friday because I posted Wes’s first birthday (which I think is way more important) so let’s see what I can remember. Apologies in advance for the excessive photos 😉

Monday: From all that I can remember (eek) I got my workout done in the morning and we walked the neighborhood in the afternoon- making sure to hit the playground before returning home. Chicken caesar salads for dinner!

PS: No joke, I was doing the second week of 22 Minute Hard Corps this week and could already see the changes! My core is much stronger and my arms and butt are getting more definition! (I think I might chat about this later this week since it might also be due to some hormonal changes…man, you just never know! But these workouts feel GOOD!)

Tuesday: My mom flew in! We haven’t seen her (or my dad…but he stayed home. boo) in just over 6 months. It really is 100% no fun to live so far away from family. I crave moments where I can just have mom and dad come over for dinner or to watch Wes for an afternoon. But…it is what it is right now.

We headed straight to Costco from the airport to stock up on essentials, made homemade chicken tenders for dinner, then called it an early night. Not without a glass of wine first!

Wednesday: We considered Wednesday our ‘transition’ day. It was nice for just the three of us (me, my mom and Wes) to hang out and get into the rhythm of a slightly different weekday now that grandma was in town! We did manage to get out of the house and run a couple of errands which was nice. Lots of snacks and maybe even a couple of presents for Wes!

We had pulled pork sandwiches for dinner and hit the hay. Wes really took to grandma so fast and has been super bubbly which has been great!

Thursday: Wes has his one year appointment at 10am, but woke up so early in the morning that he was already down for a nap by 9am and I had to wake him to put him in the car to go. I hate doing that, but I knew that it was still early enough in the day that he would get a good afternoon nap in anyways.

He wasn’t too happy at the appointment and wanted me to hold him the whole time. I didn’t mind at all since I rarely get those good cuddles, but I didn’t like seeing him saddish.

We headed to the Tim Horton’s drive through on the way home for a couple of coffees and picked up a timbit for Wes since it was his birthday eve. No shocker- he gobbled it in two bites!

He was still pretty clingy the rest of the day and snuggled with grandma throughout the afternoon. Heart=melted.

Tyler picked up a pizza on the way home from work for him and my mom and I was out the door by 5:30 to attend a winemaker’s dinner at Pampas Brazilian Steakhouse (more on that later this week!)

Friday: My baby turned ONE! We celebrated just as the sun came up with balloons in his crib and he LOVED them. Poor Tyler’s alarm still hadn’t gone off yet and we were making so much noise. Whoops!

We had pancakes for his birthday breakfast (my idea, obviously) and Wes hung out with grandma to play. They even facetimed grandpa for the Happy Birthday song!

I think we walked over to the shopping center to pick up a couple of things too. It must’ve happened, because there’s photo evidence!

After his morning nap, I attempted to take his one year photos and was so excited for him to wear some new garb! Luckily, I have come across so many great small shops lately that I was able to assemble something rather last minute. I absolutely loved each piece 🙂

wesleyarlo12months

The leggings are from Baby H Designs (she made the leggings/hat Wes wore when he came home from the hospital), moccs from Posh Panda, and bow tie from Will & Co

After a somewhat successful photo session, all clothing was removed so he could enjoy his very first cupcake! I would have preferred it to be something I made myself (I am anti-any-baked-good-from-a-store-since-homemade-is-better) but I thought this was too cute to pass up when I stopped by Crave.

IMG_4688 from Jen Linton on Vimeo.

We had to take a quick bath after that because it was a bit messy and Reggie was losing his mind over all the potential frosting to lick. We opted to all stay shirtless after the fact (plus, it was warm out) and I whipped up these amazingly delicious baked chimichangas for dinner. Best part? We had leftovers which were easily wrapped up and thrown in the freezer! Edited to add: I just remembered that Wes ZONKED for nearly three hours after noshing on the cupcake. It was a great little break for me and my mom, but it made for a less fun night of trying to get him to bed…almost 9pm!

Saturday: Even though Wes went to bed so late on Friday night, he was up at 6am on Saturday. No fun for this mama because my eyes just felt heavy as bricks! I made sure to get both our breakfasts ready before getting him from his room and we hung out in the living room for a while. On one hand, early mornings are no fun because who wants to get out of bed, but on the other hand, I absolutely love those quiet morning hours with Wes when it’s just me and him….and maybe one or two of the doggies who make it out of the bedroom.

The little guy is getting more adventurous in his eating and was asking for a lot of my mom’s cereal. So cereal he got! Afterwards, he was back to sleep for almost another 3 hours! Although I didn’t want him to miss out on the gorgeous weather, I knew he needed the sleep and it was nice for us all to be able to do our own thing for a little bit.

After his nap, we spent a long time hanging out on the patio! When it’s this nice out, it’s a sin not to sit outside and enjoy it! He really loved the fresh air and looking out 🙂

Once Tyler got to a point in his renovations where he could take a break, we had cake! Well, technically only Wes had the cake. No party this year for the birthday boy (1. Because he won’t remember it, 2. Because we have no family around to come and my girlfriends all live so FAR AWAY, and 3. Because umm…isn’t cake enough??!) I sort of feel bad about it, but so long as he’s happy that’s all that matters. He really enjoyed the cake even though he really didn’t understand the concept 😉

Also, I really need to dress nice for some photos, but can’t see the point when we’re just in the house! Besides, DOG. HAIR.

Timing worked in our favor this time and he was in bed at a relatively normal time! We had lasagna for dinner and watched Ride Along 2 before getting in bed.

Sunday: I heard Wes stirring in his crib at 6am and of course he went back to sleep but I couldn’t. I laid in bed for a few minutes before getting up to start coffee, make waffles for everyone, and fix my BAE breakfast.

At 8:30 I decided to put Wes in the stroller and walk to the library to return some books and maybe stroll around the neighborhood for a bit. I was walking one of our usual loops and just before we got back to the house, he had fallen asleep. Since Layla is a barking beast when we get to the front door, I opted to keep walking throughout the neighborhood until Wes woke up. Cut to one hour later and I finally decided to just throw in the towel because my fitbit died haha.

I had him bundled in the stroller because there was still a tiny nip in the air, but by the time we were back at the house it was practically HOT out. I changed Wes and we hung out on the patio for a couple of hours..and even managed to have a picnic lunch.

I even braved to snag a few photos in our backyard. It worked out pretty decent- the grass is (dead) nice and dry from the warm weather, and there was no dog poo! I should probably mow it sometime soon, but we’re never back there. Oops.

Layla is such a great pup with Wes. He loves her so much and is always grabbing for her and hugging her and even just laying on her and she takes it all like a champ.

We came inside for a bit because it was getting a bit too warm and I took the dogs for a long walk. After coming home, Wes went down for a nap, I worked out, and finished up the laundry.

Then it was a nice naked afternoon of crawling, climbing, babbling, and giggling.

Tyler made burgers on the BBQ for dinner and we all got to sleep pretty early after all that sun, exercise, and renovations (for Tyler).

It looks like there is still more sunny weather ahead this week, so we will be having many more outdoor adventures. I can’t wait!

Wesley Arlo- ONE YEAR

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I can hardly believe I no longer have a baby. Instead, I have a big and bubbly TODDLER. The past year has absolutely flown by and while there were several ups and several downs, I wouldn’t trade the past 12 months for the world. I am so glad I get to be this little boy’s mama and he makes me the happiest lady around. And pretty strong, too. <–from all the carrying and tossing…;)

wesleyarlo12months

He had his one year checkup yesterday and weighed in at 23.6 pounds and exactly 2 1/2 feet tall. I think he’s going to grow to be taller than both mom and dad!

bow tie from Will & Co; leggings from Baby H designs; moccs from Posh Panda

As of March 17th, he was a crawling machine. Since then, he has progressed to pulling himself up, standing, and even attempting to step up onto things. Most of the time, he’s practicing his going up and down the step from our living room, which is equal parts hilarious and a pain because he’s either REALLY happy doing it or REALLY unhappy doing it.

I’m pretty sure his legs got the majority of his growth spurt over the past month, and the crawling has thinned him out a bit. He’s wearing his size 5 Baby Dry diapers at night and size 4 Cruisers during the day. All of his clothes still fit- 18/24 months-2T. And he’s in big boy shoes! 5s or 6s depending on the make. He wears 2-4y socks but the ankle is still pretty tight on him.

He’s got 6 teeth- 4 up top and two on the bottom. He eats EVERYTHING. Chicken is finally an acceptable protein, so it’s nice to be able to give him some leftovers from our dinners. And he really loves pasta with sauce! And pickles. And olives. And all crackers and fruit and cheese…..I could go on forever in this category 😉

Still no real words. Most of the time it’s dadadada, but he has started to really imitate the dogs or even us when we clear our throats! He knows his name and will react to ‘no no’ whenever he’s about to do something he shouldn’t- like mess with the cable box or touch Reggie.

His naps are still a bit touchy. Most days it’s now only one nap and that can range anywhere form an hour to almost two hours. If he falls asleep early enough in the day, I’ll try to get him to rest again- even if it’s just quiet time in his crib. I’ll check the monitor and if he doesn’t fall asleep, he’ll usually just be sitting there with his blankie or standing up along the side and trying to pet his rocking horse. Bed time is around 7 and he will sleep for 12 hours.

Wes still loves riding in the car and I think it’s mostly because he gets a kick out of seeing himself in the mirror. He will randomly laugh at himself! He’s pretty good in the stroller for walks- mostly because the newer Bob we got has a lot better back support, and he will sit in the shopping carts whenever we’re out shopping.

Wes like to clap and pat his belly and play peekaboo with his blankie (or just recently using his hands!) He has fantastic coordination and loves to roll his balls and can put his toys together or turn them on, or basically do whatever function they’re designed for.

Again, I still can’t believe he is a whole year old already. And now that he’s hit this stage, it’s like everything is just flying by! Before we know it, he will be walking and having conversations with us! Eek.

Wes- If the internet still exists when you get older and you’re reading this, I hope you know how much of a joy you are to your daddy and I and we absolutely love you to death. xoxo