Happy Wednesday everyone! I’ve decided to do away with the Winesday Wednesday series….but only the title. I’ll still be posting about craft beer, spirits and wine on Wednesdays (when I have material), but I just didn’t want to sound too … Continue reading
This was a weekend I could definitely repeat. I did so much- and all such different things that I feel happy and fulfilled. Only thing that would have made it better was if I could have had some more time with Tyler.
Friday: Pancakes. Duh.
During Wes’s nap, I made a batch of protein balls that are SO YUMMY. I’ll be sharing the recipe this week, so stay tuned 🙂
We headed out to the mall to grab some groceries and also pick up a stick of body butter from Rocky Mountain Soap Company. They were having their Toxin Free Days- where members get a free gift when they stop by a store, so I had to take advantage!
While Wes was down for his second nap, I whipped up this delicious AND EASY Moo Shu Chicken for dinner. I hate when I work nights, because I usually start at 5pm and need to eat dinner beforehand which a) sucks, because I have to have something ready to eat EARLY, and b) sucks because I’m usually hungry again afterwards and by then it’s too late to eat.
It was a great night at work, so no complaints from this end!
Saturday: Wes and I headed to the library after breakfast for the Baby Bookworm program. There were about a dozen other babies and Wes was really entertained by the singing and reading and….other babies. One little boy sat on the blanket next to him and even held his hand! My heart melted and I desperately wanted to take a picture, but I didn’t want to freak the other mother out. haha
There are 4 more ‘classes’ in this session and I’m excited to see him interact! PS: I’m a terrible mom and hardly have Wes in situations where he is around other kids his age. Part of it is because I’m a germaphobe, part of it is because I don’t want to pay to participate in activities, and part of it is because I just don’t want to put up with a crank monster if any activity throws off his schedule!
After the library, we walked back home and I quickly got ready and headed back out to meet up with some of the BLOG SQUAD for a tour at Tool Shed Brewery. You guys…I have been on a ton of beer tours. And this one was by far the best I’ve ever been on. They are just so damn passionate about beer. From how it’s made to interacting with others involved in the process, to interacting with the local community. I was just blown away by the enthusiasm and ingenuity the Tool Shed guys have.
Plus, the beer is pretty damn tasty.
We got to sample each of their 3 core beers plus a limited edition brew. AND THEN….once the tour was over, we got another beer of our choosing! I mean, yeah the perk of a brewery tour is getting to sample their product, but I really gotta say that the information on the tour- and how it was presented- was the highlight of the afternoon.
The space is pretty neat too! (My kinda decor!!)
I ended up leaving with 3 6-packs of the Gose and a 6-pack of their People Skills Cream Ale. YUM.
PS: If anyone in Calgary ever wants to go on this tour, I WILL GO WITH YOU. I loved it that much. Seriously.
After the tour, I headed home and quickly changed to head off to work. I felt like I was super busy for my shift but didn’t make as much as I thought. Ok, ok, so I’ll tell you where I work now. Brewster’s! They have a location close to my house and I get 3 serving shifts a week. The staff is all incredibly friendly and it’s such a nice atmosphere that I find time flies. Plus, the social interaction is nice. So are the tips 😉
When I got home, Tyler and I watched Deadpool and drank some Tool Shed. The movie is so funny-one of the best ones I’ve seen in a while. Ryan Reynolds. That is all.
Sunday: I met up with the BLOG SQUAD at Illume Hot Yoga for a private Surf Set class (more on that later this week, I promise). It was a fun workout! I still did my 22 Minute Hard Corps Workout earlier in the day, and the added core strength required for SurfSet was no joke. Obviously because of the name they also offer Hot Yoga which I’m hoping to try in the near future.
Later in the afternoon, I headed off to National Westhills with Wes to attend the Beer Master BBQ co-hosted by Phillips Brewing. I love this National location because it is family friendly and I could bring Wes with me to a beer event. Never mind that I was pretty much the only one there with a kid, but who cares!
Phillips had some amazing beers for us to sample and National provided a delicious BBQ spread that I was able to share with the kiddo.
YES the food was great. And YES the beer was great. But what really stuck out to me was the customer service. I can’t stress enough how friendly the staff was to me throughout the event. They were always checking up on me, asking if there was anything I needed, and even brought an extra umbrella out to keep Wes in the shade. Plus, they actually got my food and beers for me so that I didn’t have to keep getting up and down with Wes in tow.
I’m pretty sure they’ve made a customer for life out of me. Insane craft beer selection + yummy food + exceptional customer service= mother BLEEPING bliss. HIGH FIVES TO YOU, NATIONAL WESTHILLS.
The BBQ had live music, games and prizes and I would have LOVED to have had Tyler or friends accompany, but it was so last minute. Oops. There was even a candy table and balloon decorations (some event goers and staff cut the balloons down to give to Wes. And they gave him stickers. LIKE SERIOUSLY- WHAT CRAFT BEER ESTABLISHMENT LOVES KIDS SO MUCH?!!! I wanted to stay there forever.)
Ack, back to the beer. I was able to sample the Pilsner, Sax in the Dark (Dark Sour Ale…MY FAVE), Electric Unicorn White IPA, and the Short Wave West Coast Pale Ale. I was told by the Phillips rep that the Pilsner was a newer beer that was ‘extremely crushable’. In lay mans terms: it’s easy to drink a lot of. Lay-er mans terms: you’ll get drunk off this beer. Ha! So true, it was crisp and clean and delicious.
Wes fell asleep on the way home and I rounded out the weekend with a quadruple decker Oreo. Because, YUP. Oh, and I walked the dogs. But that’s not exciting to read about.
And just like that, another week is in the books. This one just FLEW by! How is it already mid-February? I am so confused.
Monday: Breakfast a super delicious smoothie (vega + sweet potato + oats + almond milk + ice).
It was sunny and warm-ish out so I took Wes to Bowmont park for a walk.
We didn’t stay long because I brought the wrong stroller (the citi mini gt isn’t that great on somewhat icy/rocky/snowy/terrain and I left the BOB at home) and Wes kept taking his hat off! Silly boy.
After we got back home, I walked us down the street to our mini makeshift park and introduced him to the swing for the first time. HE LOVED IT. As soon as I put him in, he grabbed the handles and just sat there enjoying me pushing him non stop for EVER.
We had burgers for dinner and they were so good, I had a second patty. I could have probably eaten three. We gave Wes some burger to try and he loved it too. He’s just like his daddy- loves burgers and pickles and cheese 🙂
Tuesday: I remembered there was a baby playdate scheduled at our local library, so we walked over there to see what it was all about. It was another nice day out, so it was great to get even more fresh air! Plus, we live super close to the library and it would take just as long to load and unload him from the car as it would to just walk on over.
They had set out a bunch of blanket with various items for babies to touch and play with. Of course Wes wanted to just shove everything in his mouth. I was dying on the inside about all the germs but what are you gonna do?
There were about 10 other babies and although Wes wasn’t the oldest..he was definitely the biggest. The other moms were shocked when I told them how good of a sleeper and eater he is. And I got to brag about it a little bit 🙂
We went back to the swings again later that afternoon and it was still a hit.
We had chicken tortellini for dinner- it was a Costco find and we didn’t think it was that great. Not bad, just not yummy enough to buy again. Good thing we have two more packages of it in the freezer ha.
After dinner I was playing with Wes and did the worst thing EVER…I spilled a full glass of water all over my laptop. Tyler quickly swooped in and took my laptop of to the laptop ER (the bathroom counter) to inspect the damage and set it up to dry out. I was a nervous wreck and took the doggies on an even longer walk that night because I was having heart palpitations over the potential cost of buying a new one.
Wednesday: I drowned my sorrows in a batch of sweet potato pancakes. It did the trick for the time being. I’m pretty sure anything drenched in maple syrup helps.
We went over to Safeway to pick up some produce (thank GOODNESS they lowered their prices on produce. It was over $2 PER PEPPER before!) and Wes got a kick out of sitting in the cart. So much so that he was doing his Tarzan call over and over again to entertain other shoppers.
I love that the cover has a couple of loops in the front to attach toys so he can’t launch them onto the dirty floor. (This is the one I have)
We had chicken tenders for dinner- they were so good! I could have eaten way more, but wanted to leave some leftovers for lunch the next day. Next time we have these, I’m going to prepare 4x more to put in the freezer for quick meals in the future!
AND GUESS WHAT? Tyler tested my computer and it was fully functional! Hip hip hooray. We already ordered another one just in case, but will be returning it (free of charge) once it’s delivered. I did a major happy dance. Major.
Thursday: I posted a Parker & Posie giveaway. Have you entered? You’d be crazy not to! These soft soled baby shoes are to die for!!!
Not much got done since Wes decided to only have one nap. It’s crazy how much that can affect my productivity! I still managed to get some stuff done around the house and before you know it Tyler was home and I was headed out the door for a brewmasters dinner downtown.
At the very last minute (and I’m VERY thankful for it) I got two tickets to the Bomber Brewing Beer Dinner at National on 8th. It was a 5 course meal with beer pairings from the Vancouver brewery as it was introducing its beers to the Alberta market.
Thankfully, Brie was able to go with me (thanks Brie, and sorry for the last minute invite!).
With the exception of the first course which I didn’t eat (oysters…ew) the food was really good. Like, really really good. I was really glad I wore stretchy pants. I’m not a fish person by any means, but the cod dish was my favorite! And who doesn’t love grilled cheese? It was paired with a spicy tomato soup- perfect for dunking. Then there was the brisket which didn’t even require a knife to cut. And the dessert I could have eaten 10x over because I have the world’s worst sweet tooth.
The beer was pretty good too! A bit too hoppy for my taste (as a stand alone beer), but I think they did an excellent job of pairing each with great foods that really complimented the flavors. My favorite was the chocolate porter that came with dessert- that one I could probably drink on its own! Check out Bomber Brewing here.
All of our beers went unfinished since we were both driving home. Womp womp.
I was home by 10, in bed by 10:10 and still managed to get my 8 hours of sleep. Can’t hate that!
And that’s the week in a nutshell! There were some baths, long doggy walks, and workouts in between. Never mind the fact I polished off the entire batch of nutella muddy buddies I made on Sunday. Oops!
Have a great weekend everyone!
It’s no secret I love craft beer. Heck, my relationship with Tyler started on the basis of craft beer! We love it so much, Tyler at one point even brewed it at home (we’re not so good at it, so we’ll leave it to the pros).
When I first moved to Calgary in 2012, I was looking for a place that not only had an amazing selection of beer, but that also had good food and a fun vibe. Enter: National.
I first found National on 17th while out with some new friends and it has since been one of my go-to spots when going out for drinks. Their location on 10th ave is in walking distance from my job, so that place was frequented more than 17th 😉
From their website: Our original location, on Calgary’s bustling 17th Avenue, has been a popular hangout since its doors first opened. Long, communal tables and ample seating make it the perfect place to meet new people, and to gather with friends for a late breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The food menu is big and well-considered, and dishes pair well with our curated selection of craft beers from small North American brewers. A huge oyster bar and robust wine & cocktail menu round out your options. This location also boasts a lively, sun-drenched patio in the warmer seasons.
PS: There are actually FOUR National locations- 17th, 10th, 8th, and Westhills. I am eager to check out the other two!
My friend Susie turned 30 on Saturday, so we headed to National on 17th for a few beer flights. We were immediately greeted by some awesome staff members and snagged a pretty sweet table near the front windows.
You guys, the beer selection is huge. Like, it’ll-take-you-forever-to-make-up-your-mind huge. Luckily, the staff is pretty darn educated in the stuff and can throw out some recommendations (insert hallelujah hands here).
We enjoyed 2 different flights (12 beers total) ranging from pale ales to stouts to sours to wheat beers. I think I can say with confidence I would order pints of about 10 of them- two just weren’t my style, but that could be because the taste was altered after following a different beer?
National has 2 features that I absolutely love:
Once we finished our flights, the birthday girl chose a round of cocktails for us: Hound Dog Hooch (vodka, pink lemonade, wheat beer). They were pretty tasty and a nice palate cleanser.
I could have stayed at 17th for the remainder of our night, but we decided to head on over to the 10th location for some beer and BOWLING! Unfortunately once we got there, the lanes were all booked. We ended up staying there anyways and having another drink (or two…) to round out the evening.
Once I get my ‘going out’ mojo back, I’ll be sure to head back to 10th to get my bowling (and beer) fix!
Ok the weeks are flying by because it was definitely JUST Wednesday. But here we are again and I have hardly anything to share with you because A) I haven’t been in the mood to drink lately; B) I am trying to save money by not buying booze (insert shocked face here); and C) I would rather feel as good as I can in the early morning hours.
With that, Tyler bought 3 more pumpkin beers for us to try last Friday. We only got to try one and it was terrible- Sam Adams Fat Jack
It was a strong, heavy beer (8.5% ABV) and had a terrible taste. Even Tyler had to throw his away!
Sadly, the other two we weren’t able to try because we accidentally left them in the freezer overnight. WOMP
After that, I decided to switch to wine. I had two small glasses and woke up feeling like C-R-A-P the next day.
the end.
OH, BUT WAIT!
Michael sent me a pic of his latest beer! (Remember: send me photos of your stuff if you want them included in my WW posts)
It’s Bell’s Brewery 30th Anniversary imperial stout. You can read about it here. Ummm…11% ABV?! I’m out. WOOF
What are you drinking this week?
nutcaseinpoint 