Lobster Shorts cooking, dog adoption, dogs, Food, The Great Outdoors, vegetarian

Oliver’s First Birthday And The Weekend

This weekend we celebrated our puppy’s first birthday and the weather turned towards real Winter. It’s still technically Fall here, but November is usually when the real cold starts. It was -5 today, which is not bad, but it’s also windy, making it feel colder.

I had a cavity repaired on Saturday which brought us to the city, and we decided to go shopping for Winter coats. Sport Chek was having a huge sale and I got the coat I wanted for 40%-45% off! I was so happy and it is so warm. Mr Lobster Shorts found one too.

I was in the mood for warm and hearty when we arrived back home. I made soup from yellow lentils (moong dal), potatoes, cauliflower, vegetable soup cubes, potatoes, spinach, and a heaping scoop of curry powder. It was my intention to put a can of coconut milk in the soup, but it was fine without it. It was delicious. I turned off the lights, lit the candelabra, and loved how cozy it made the table. The bread was a multigrain loaf from the grocery store and it was delightful. It was a romantic, cozy ending to the day. We curled up on the couch together to watch a movie but were both falling asleep before it ended.

Sunday started with this super simple, delicious breakfast made with sweet potatoes, I got the recipe here. It was yummy and easy! We made one for the dogs too (minus the blueberries for Otis. He gets explosive diarrhea from blueberries. Although I’m pretty sure after all the sweet potatoes and cupcakes, we’re going to be waking up to something horrible tomorrow morning). Sunday is usually pancake day for the whole family and the dogs love it. They circle the table and kitchen like sharks until it’s their turn. They are not patient. Today we had something a little different. We all loved it, puppies too. Aren’t blueberries and sweet potatoes such a pretty mix of colour?

After breakfast, we took the dogs for a trek through the woods and tested out the new Winter coats. They did really well! We were both toasty warm. Otis still fit in last year’s boots thank goodness. For a street dog, he’s got sensitive little toes! Oliver doesn’t need them unless there is a lot of salt. The pups had fun in all the snow and didn’t seem bothered by the cold at all. I figured Otis would be okay, with his thick golden retriever fur, but Oliver is half-spaniel and his coat isn’t very thick. No coat, no shoes, no problem. He wasn’t cold at all.

Lunch was the leftovers from last night’s dinner (minus the candlelight). Isn’t soup always better the next day?

Oliver was wondering why we weren’t sharing lunch with him! He IS the birthday boy.

Doesn’t Otis look adorable in a birthday hat? This only lasted long enough to snap the photo, then he pawed it off his head.

Oliver was less chill about the hat. His expression here says it all. He took off running with the hat in his mouth after the photo. We had to chase him down before he ate it. Good times little buddy!

Birthday shenanigans ended with mini vanilla cupcakes (from the grocery store) and a new toy. Both dogs are currently having a late afternoon nap sleeping off their treats and morning walk. I’m sitting in a beam of sunlight enjoying a hot cup of tea, content.

Lobster Shorts The Great Outdoors

Secret Mission Two

The first snowfall and the second mission. My next attempt to secretly have my spouse fall in love with Winter was very delayed. Every weekend we had an event or obligation to attend. It kept us very busy. This last weekend we had zero plans and we were so excited to stay home. No driving, all relaxing.

This weekend just so happened to coincide with the first snowfall of the season. It wasn’t supposed to snow until Sunday, but Saturday I saw the first flakes start to fall and hollered for Mr. Lobster Shorts to come outside and give me a smooch. I highly recommend smooching your love during the first snowfall. It’s romantic, exciting, and gives the warm fuzzies.

Our relaxing weekend involved dinner dates, working on personal projects, and spending time together. Secret mission to make my spouse love winter – number two, was a romantic walk through the woods. How perfect for the first snowfall! It was a fantastic snowfall too. Usually, the first snowfall melts as soon as it touches the ground. Not this one! It snowed enough to accumulate. The woods were beautiful! It was above freezing during our walk and the snow was falling out of the trees. The sound of it was splendid and the air heavy and muffled like a comforting blanket.

I loved it and my spouse had a nice time too. I know he doesn’t love Winter yet, but perhaps he hates it just a little less? I already know what the next Wintery surprise will be and I’m sure he’ll love it.

Lobster Shorts lifestyle, The Great Outdoors

My Secret Mission For My Spouse To Like Winter

I like Winter. I love it in fact. It’s a source of endless fun and beauty. My spouse doesn’t see past the frigid temps and dark days. I strongly suspect this stems from his dislike of winter clothing, therefore he’s cold, wet, and uncomfortable outside. You need to dress for the weather people! Layer layer layer!

My mission this Fall/Winter season is to show the guy a good time. I’ve got a list started of all the things I think we would have fun doing. Some of them we’ve done before and others we’ve never tried. I’ve added snowmobiling to the list. I’ve never done it before and I’m not sure he has either. Sounds like a good time. I’m sure you could go out and rent one somewhere. I’ll need to do a little research. It’s a good idea to give google a shot. I’ve discovered outdoor patio igloos (plastic igloos, not the snow kind – sadly) at a craft brewery, here in Ontario. Yes, please! That sounds like a hoot! There are some typical winter activities on the list too, like skiing, snowshoeing (never did this as an adult), and Winter hiking. I’m probably going to skip skating, but it’s not completely crossed off. There is an ice wine festival in the winter I’m looking forward to as well. There are so many fun and exciting things out there waiting to be discovered.

Not everything is outdoors. I’ve added the Value Village date to the list of things to do. If you haven’t heard of that one, it’s where you take your partner, or friend to Value Village and pick out each other’s outfits (show no mercy) and then wear them out (maybe to brunch!). Holiday decorating and baking cookies is for sure on the list of things to do. And as it’s currently still October – there will be some scary movies to watch together. The traditional Christmas Eve at chez Lobster Shorts is watching Krampus.

The plan: to get a fun Fall/Winter activity in on the weekends and a few mixed in mid week. I’m not going to tell him what we’re doing, I’m going to tell him what he needs to wear and where to go and it will be a surprise. Maybe, just maybe, by the end of the season, he’ll love winter as much as I do

Lobster Shorts cooking, Food, The Great Outdoors, vegetarian, weight loss

Saturday – Calorie Overload And Fun At The Beach

Disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nutritionist, or anyone with any business giving diet/nutritional advice. This is my own personal journey. When it comes to yourself, seek the advice of a medical professional.

Saturday morning, my spouse and took the pups in for a weigh-in. The puppy is now 75lbs and his older brother, Otis is 82lbs. After five months, Otis is at a really good weight. He doesn’t need to gain anymore. Both the dogs are healthy and doing well.

As per usual, Saturday morning Jay and I went to The Stonetown Cafe for breakfast. Sometimes we bring the doggos, but the two of them can be a handful, so we went ourselves. I was a little hungover from Friday and had orange juice instead of coffee. I had an egg sandwich on a bagel with a slice of cheddar cheese. I really like their iced coffee in the summer, but I was too thirsty.

Jay and I headed to the beach at noon and I got the Harvest Sandwich at Tim Hortons for lunch. I seem to be having a lot of these lately. Jay wanted one too, but there was only one left. Being the sweetheart he is he let me have it and opted for something else. He’s such a gentleman.

We had a super fun day at the beach. The water was warm bath water. I loved it. I brought a little underwater metal detector that I found on Aliexpress with us. I didn’t have much hope for it, but it actually worked! It takes a 9-volt battery and it’s really small and discreet. I don’t know why, but I feel really silly using a metal detector around people. This thing definitely flew under the radar and guess what… It’s waterproof! We went snorkeling with it and I’m in love with this little thing. Jay even found something in the water!

Aaaand we found a dog shock collar. No, we will not be keeping it or using it. I wish we had found something a little less… shocking. The summer is just starting there will be a lot more fun beach days with this gadget. I’m so excited to use it again.

Jay made us dinner with Hello Fresh. It was absolutely delicious, but the calorie count was HUGE. The bag was 810 calories per serving, but the tortellini noodles were separate. The noodles were around 400 calories. Knowing the last time, they didn’t include the items separate from the bag into the meal calories, this meant this was massively high in calories. Even though I ate less than the serving size, I still had quite a lot of it. I adjusted the calories so they would more reflect what I ate. I also had popcorn and snacks this day, bringing my calorie count for the day to a whopping 2789 calories! YIKES.

SaturdayCalories
bagel250
egg78
slice of cheese113
orange juice111
Strawberries 318
latte160
harvest sandwich – Tims391
granula bar160
apple sauce45
tortelini pasta400
hello fresh pasta bag790
popcorn213
chococrackers x260
Total Calories2789
Lobster Shorts lifestyle, The Great Outdoors

Apple Trees and Smores

This weekend the forecast called for storms. Instead there was sunshine and warm weather.

Saturday started with a dog walk, coffee, and a bagel at the local cafe. My spouse and I ended up spending most of Saturday doing yard work. The lawn was mowed for the first time and the garden was weeded. It was so nice to have it done and it looked so much better. We went to the local greenhouse to get some veggie plants. I know you’re supposed to wait until after the May long weekend, but we were too excited. While we were there I saw a tree that grew my favourite flavor of apple.

Honeycrisp! I bought that tree instantly. I love love love those apples. We got into the parking lot and it hit me…. How are we going to get this tree into the car?

Well, we did! I ended up sitting behind my spouse and we put the tree into the front seat and loaded the trunk up with the veggie plants. The tree made it home with all branches intact and we promptly planted it. We collected a lot of fallen branches from the yard and put them in the fire pit, and later that night we had the season’s first smores.

We bought Dandies Marshmallows from Healthy Planet and used Celebration cookies. They come with the chocolate, so it’s seriously easy smores with all the perfect amounts. They were so freaking good. We had smores and watched the bats fly overhead. I still plan on putting a bat box up somewhere, but I have no idea if they’ll use it. I went to bed around 8:30 that evening. I was wiped out.

Sunday I tried to make friends with the chipmunk in our yard bribing him with peanuts. He came as close as an inch away, but he was not there yet. By the end of Summer, I hope to have him eating out of my hand. I toss him some peanuts whenever I see him, so he is starting to pop out when he hears us.

Late afternoon we went on the first kayak trip of the season. I saw turtles! I haven’t seen a single turtle since I moved here and this weekend I saw at least 10 of them; painted and snapping turtles. There were some fish in the water that I had never seen before either. They looked like a suckerfish and had light and dark brown bands running down their body. I think they might have been northern hog suckerfish. They looked very similar anyway. It was fun and I think I will enjoy swimming there on a hot summer day.

We finished the weekend off with sunburns and a beer. The thunderstorms held off and I’m hoping to fall asleep to the sound of rain and thunder.

Lobster Shorts card making, crafting, Food, The Great Outdoors, vegetarian, weight loss

Cards, Kayaking, and Indulgences

It was a long weekend here in Ontario. I spent the first day making cards and catching up on some chores. I’ll post a video of the cards I made and the supplies I used to make them with, below. Some of them were really cute and I loved the new dies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iodSizHJqnw

I saw the snake again this weekend. It’s much slimmer now, it’s either digested a giant meal, or has laid some eggs. It’s much more mellow away from it’s beloved garden hose (I mentioned in a previous post it was lunging at my spouse when he was trying to turn the garden hose on. We think it might have had a crush on the garden hose!). I was pretty close to it when I was doing some weeding, and it didn’t seem to mind too much. It was also between me and the door this morning and I had to step over it to get into the house. It didn’t seem to mind that too much either. I’m happy to see it’s in much better spirits these days. We had always got along in previous years.

We had wanted to go on a kayaking adventure out of town, but with potential thunderstorms looming, we decided to play it safe and stay on the local river. I brought my camera with the underwater case and took a looong video of the underwater view. It’s pretty murky as the day was gloomy for most of it, but I think it looks pretty cool. I’ll post that video below. I was looking for the really pretty rainbow darter fish, but they were mostly gone (I didn’t get them on the video). The Canada geese were also a lot more relaxed, including the ones with babies. They are terrifying and will come for you if you come too close. The local creatures seem much more friendly lately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndAGkxPXFZs&t=12s

I indulged a lot this weekend. A LOT!

I had my regular big Sunday breakfast of a croissant and eggs with coffee and fruit. Monday, I had an omelet (pictured above). I had CRAVINGS this weekend. I wanted strawberry ice cream and cookies. And I had them, a lot of them. I have completely come off track lately. I haven’t worked out, or gotten that much exercise and my diet has been horrible the past week. I keep falling off the wagon and feeling discouraged with myself.

Time to pick myself up by the boot straps (what does that even mean??) and start again.

Lobster Shorts card making, crafting, Food, The Great Outdoors

This Week’s Cards, Sunday Breakfast, and Lawn Snake Update

This is such an easy breakfast to make, if you buy the croissants already made, which I did. I must admit I over baked them a tad this time. I am one of those people that if I drink too much coffee I get a headache, jittery, and my face feels weird. Too much coffee for me is two cups (unless it’s a latte. I can drink a plain coffee and a latte in the same day and not react). I rarely finish a cup of coffee. Most people I know get a reaction if they don’t drink any coffee. I have no reaction to skipping coffee in a day. We are all unique little snowflakes.

One of the snakes on the lawn is either about to expand the family, or had a giant meal. It still looks like this a day later. I don’t know much about snakes to be able to tell. It also has a favourite spot. If I want to check in on it, it’s usually in the same spot. Maybe it’s too full to move?

I made cards this weekend. I really love the paw print background with black cards stock on the kraft card base. It’s cute enough for a plain note card itself and I love these little dog cut outs too. They had more pieces like eye pupils, a tongue, and a couple more ear pieces and toe pads, but they were so small and finicky, I didn’t use them. They are cute without them.

I used a living room cutting die set that was fun to use with patterned paper. I still need to put a sentiment on it, but I’m not sure what sentiment I would want to use with this card. There’s always “Hello” which typically works on anything, which I used on the plant trellis card. The trellis card is on the plain side so I it’s not yet finished. The Father’s Day card is minimal, and I like it that way. It’s another set that would work with patterened paper.

I made these cards and more with a new coordinating envelope and die set. I made a couple more envelopes to use with letters to friends and family. They aren’t quite long enough to fit a standard letter into. I hope one day they make one that size. I have been looking for one. The rose paper on the top card gave me a cottage core vibe, which I have been into lately. I will get a lot of use out of this die. I love matching the envelopes and cards together. I’ll post a link of a video of mine where you can get the supplies I used to make the cards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PBL6KjA8YU&ab_channel=LobsterShorts
Lobster Shorts Food, The Great Outdoors

Easter Weekend, Nature, and Naughty Nummies

This Easter weekend brought the start of a month long, province wide, lockdown . On the nicest day of the weekend, we went for a walk in the woods to get some exercise and feed the chickadees. The day was warm and sunny and I saw many firsts of the season: butterflies, frogs, plants shoots, and a ground hog.

This pond was full of frisky frogs. They were super loud, and chirpy. I wish I had recorded it. I thought I did, but there was no video when I got home. We walked around 8km-9km, the weather was perfect and full of happy Spring vibes.

Sunday, I made amaranth pancakes and they were really good! I’m converted. From now on amaranth is my flour of choice for pancakes (I think it’s gluten free!). Whenever I make whole grain pancakes, they are usually super dry and sit like a brick in my stomach. These were nothing like that. The true test was my spouse, he likes his white wheat flour and is not a fan of the whole grains. He knew right away they weren’t made with typical white flour, but he liked them. I asked if they were good enough to switch over permanently, and he said yes. One step closer to eliminating white flour from our diets. Yay! For the toppings, I boiled berries and cherries with some maple syrup to taste, and then of course added more maple syrup… because maple syrup. They were great and I recommend trying the recipe out.

Saturday, I made my usual weekend breakfast of a huge pile of coffee, eggs, and home fries. Still not sick of it. YUM!

The naughty nummies were my beloved Cadbury Creme Eggs and a KitKat Popcorn bar. YUM! If I see a new variety of KitKat, I must have it. This one was awesome. I didn’t make any cards this week, instead I finished my cloak. I’m meh about it. I’ll post pics of it later this week.

Lobster Shorts card making, crafting, Food, The Great Outdoors

Walks, Cards, and Breakfasts

I’m relaxing on the couch on a rainy weekend. I’m still stiff from a 20km walk I did earlier in the week. Only a small portion of the walk was through this pretty treed trail, most of it was on the side of a road. I wasn’t sure if I’d be up for it since the longest walk I’ve done recently was 12km and I was super stiff afterwards. I stopped in a park about halfway through the walk to take a rest for about 15 minutes. It was so cold and windy I didn’t stop as long as I would have liked to. I’ve done this walk before and have been super thirsty and went through a couple bottles of water. Because it was so cold I wasn’t thirsty at all until the next day. Being cold helped. I made it to my goal and rewarded myself with a hot London Fog.

This weekend’s big breakfast was the usual eggs, home fries, and berries. I haven’t used self control at all this week. I ate drive through breakfasts at Tim Horton’s instead of intermittent fasting, ate lots of chocolate and snacks, and ordered take out a lot.

My inlaws gave us a giant bag of potatoes, so I made a big pot of soup. I didn’t follow a recipe. I used half an onion, a mixture of cashew milk and water seasoned with Better Than Boullion, and threw in a bunch of potatoes and boiled everything. Once the potatoes were cooked I tossed in a can of black beans, and leftover spinach. We had it with a whole grain small baguette and white wine. It’s been a carbarific weekend.

I made a bunch of cards this weekend. The rose card is my favourite.

I’ll post a video of the products I used to make them below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdi1qvRpwBY&ab_channel=LobsterShorts
Lobster Shorts The Great Outdoors

Hamsters With Wings

I like birds, but I love chickadees. They are my favourite bird and there are tons of them here in Ontario. They are cute, tiny, and they will likely land on your hand for seeds, especially if you go somewhere they are used to being fed (This photo was taken at Wild Wood in Stratford. Laurel Creek in Waterloo and Macgregor Park in Port Elgin, are also great places to feed chickadees).

This cute little one and its buddy landed on my hand in under two minutes. Every time we were about to walk away it would come back for more. They followed us until we got to a thicker section of the woods and we would stop and hold out more seeds (they always picked the peanuts).

I will remember to bring seeds with me on all my nature walks (I stuffed them into a pocket I never use). I might meet some cute forest creatures along the way.