Not sure how to even start this because that was an August that I’ll remember forever. There are a few specific posts I want to do (a Nova Scotia one and a wedding one probably), so I’ll get into that more later but for now here’s what else went down last month!
I made a list of my favourite summer recipes and I just finished the last of my summer corn. Not sure what to do with my life now.
Discovered Laline, which is basically the Canadian version of Sabon. In love with their pear scented products.
Tried the popcorn M&Ms and they were good! Nothing revolutionary, but I love an attempt at something weird.
The amount of A&W teen burgers in a lettuce wrap I’ve had this summer would alarm you, but I have no regrets.
Loving the Dr. Jart colour correcting cream (when mixed with moisturizer, thank you Marla!). The mini size is gonna last me five years, so that’s also a plus.
I have been to so many farm stands this season and I’ll never get sick of them. Sometimes a jar of cranberry mustard is the cure for whatever you have?
Do not ask me why I rewatched The Wedding Planner. It’s truly one of the worst things ever made. Everyone is a dick in this movie.
Thirteen: depressing but a good movie.
Copycat: really good! Can’t believe I haven’t seen it before.
Kiss The Girls: favourite genre.
The Naked Gun: look, my 11 year old nephew really laughed and it definitely had its moments. Nothing will beat the original, but it was still all right.
Weapons: I liked it! It’s not as good as Barbarian, but still enjoyable. Love that some theatres had showtimes at 2:17.
The Summer I Turned Pretty: so this is probably the best season? Needless to say, I’M A BIG FAN. (Also quick sidenote: what the hell was with Taylor’s busted-ass bridesmaid dress??)
And Just Like That: Maybe I’m in the minority here but I liked how it ended! I also loved that the credits had the original Sex and the City music.
The Morning Show: objectively? This is a terrible show. The writing is awful. The storylines are tired. Actors should be actively embarrassed to be on this show. I can’t be the only one who thinks this.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’m so happy about the weather changing soon, I cannot wait to see Keanu Reeves in Waiting For Godot and I really can’t wait to visit Napa next month.
Took my brother and nephews to do an impromptu cake tasting!
Cake tasting
Speaking of cakes, are we all aware of how good the La Rocca ones are? I tried their strawberry white chocolate this month and it was delicious. Their best one remains the caramel crunch one, though. Best grocery store cakes of all time.
La Rocca strawberry cake
My niece Tianna and I stayed at Pillar and Post in Niagara-On-The-Lake and it was absolutely perfect. I tried bone marrow for the first time (I see the appeal) and it was a perfect little getaway. (Also, a gorgeous lavender field is only minutes away.)
Lavender field, Niagara-On-The-Lake
I was craving green curry (but not wanting to pay $30 for it from a restaurant) so I made one at home with onions, peas, chicken and store-bought green curry sauce and it was insanely satisfying. Also, lasted me a full week. I have to remember to do this again.
The house-made garlic and chive cream cheese from The Cheese Boutique is heavenly.
Nathan and I went to Montreal (best thing about a road trip? McDonald’s $1 any-sized iced coffee + the free DoubleTree warm cookie) and had such a great time. First time trying their bagels and good god - eons better than New York ones. No one told me. Only regret of the trip? Not ordering this onion block from The Cage.
$1 iced coffees for life
Montreal bagel
And this should be obvious, but Quebec cheese curds are otherworldly. There is no substitution.
Montreal, July 2025
Officially in love with the Montreal brand Mimi and August (thank you, Marla!).
I will always stop at The Big Apple when we pass it on the highway. Right now they have incredible nectarines and apple cheddar bread. (We also stopped at Primitive Designs because why not?)
Had my bridal shower and it was overwhelmingly nice. I made my favourite lemon sorbet with mascarpone for dessert (I will use any excuse to make these, they’re so good). And these honey jars are such a perfect party favour (note: you do have to fill them yourself, like some sort of sap).
Lemon sorbet with mascarpone and mint
Mini honey jars
This is really a reminder to myself to never use booking.com again. I’m 40, I should know better. Stop using third party websites for booking anything. They’re all terrible when it comes to changing plans.
Current snack on repeat: Nutella on Dad’s Cookies. I can’t stop.
Some things I watched:
Fatal Attraction: wow, I rewatch this movie a lot. Might need to look into that.
A rerun of the Lady Gaga SNL: fantastic. Love her.
Single White Female: great! Can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before.
The Bear: I can’t stand how much Eyo says “like.” Other than that, the season was fine? Not enough scenes with Will Poulter.
And Just Like That: live long enough and you’ll grow to hate Aiden. It’s a blessing that this show is coming to an end. Also, Miranda’s character progression has never made any sense to me.
I Know What You Did Last Summer: I actually liked it! I won’t ruin the ending, but I truly hated that part of it.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: OH I WONDER.
What happened last month? Oh I don’t know, nothing too monumental other than the fact that Nathan and I got engaged. WILD STUFF. Super jacked about it. But also here’s what else down last month…
I never wear strapless bras because they’re all terrible, so for years when I need to wear one I’ll just put on a corset (it sounds uncomfortable, but I swear it’s not). The first one I bought was about ten years ago from this great place (Orchard Corset on the Lower East Side) that only specializes in corsets. You walk in, there are boxes everywhere, it’s owned by a couple - one of them looks at you, tells you the exact right size to get and you’re set. I updated the one I got recently (it lasted ten years) and they cost around $70. They fit like a dream. Praying this place stays in business for eternity. (I also learned the proper way (below) to clasp one, how did it take me so long to learn this??)
Best corset shop in the world in NYC
The proper way to clasp a corset
The chain Jersey Mike’s came to Canada so I tried their signature sub (swimming in vinegar) and it was good. I wish it had even more vinegar, though.
DO NOT sleep on the incredible sushi from Hillstone.
Hillstone sushi with Irene
The new brown sugar foam at Starbucks is a problem, it’s so good.
Nathan and I saw Stranger Things on Broadway and visually it was fantastic! The story wasn’t the best and it’s way too long, but the plushies they sold are wonderful.
Lemax released their Halloween collection this year and I might have to buy the new wedding party, I don’t make the rules.
Wedding party from Lemax
Visited the Cheese Boutique in Toronto and I can’t believe how huge it is. It’s this giant cheese/meat/butcher/specialty foods haven.
This raccoon (below) came up to my parent’s window and I’m in love.
Cutest raccoon alive
My parent’s car had an air conditioning issue so I took it to our mechanic and they quoted us a minimum of $900 (!). Then I took it to Canadian Tire and they did the entire job for $275 and completely fixed the issue. Unbelievable. Love Canadian Tire so much.
I hate a sugar cookie, but the Crumbl wedding cookie was really good.
Wedding cookie from Crumbl
Something about having a Blue Moon on draft at a restaurant makes me so happy.
Draft Blue Moons = summer
Some things I watched:
Sirens (Netflix) - it was like a poor man’s White Lotus. Nice visuals, not much story, though.
Another Simple Favor - truly terrible. It’s as if AI wrote a movie about dumb hats in Capri.
The Mist - pretty good! Love a horror movie watch in June.
Milli Vanilli documentary - really good, so much I didn’t know about these guys.
Titan documentary - I wish it were more about the people on board and the details around the specific disaster rather than the company history, but maybe that’s just me.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: going to Montreal with Nathan, a million things to plan before the wedding, lane swimming and seeing the new I Know What You Did Last Summer in theatres.
I visited the new Printemps (french department store) in the city, which is really lovely. The design of the space is worth seeing if you’re in the area. Keep in mind that practically nothing is priced under $100.
Printemps in NYC
We went to Ruta in Astoria, which is probably the best Mexican in the neighborhood by far. Their deep red salsa will fix you.
At Ruta in Astoria, Queens
Here were my favourite Met Gala looks this year:
Kerry Washington at the Met Gala, 2025
Katy Perry at the Met Gala, 2025
Nicole Kidman at the Met Gala, 2025
Cardi B at the Met Gala, 2025
So I tried a retinol night serum on my face and I was warned that some flakiness might occur but this was next level flake city. I had to stop. I also do not care about the benefits of retinol, so let’s never speak of it again.
The chain Toasties in the city? What garbage! Never again. How do you mess up lunch?
I can’t stop texting this image to people (below).
I was looking for a new (not drugstore) mascara and I found a fantastic one - the Glossier Lash Slick. In love with the wand, it catches every single little hair.
I tried the Trader Joe’s strawberry gluten free muffins and they were okay, but nothing can top their GF cinnamon coffee cake ones.
I was invited to see Mel Robbins at The Beacon (with a very lovely new friend) and I’ve got to be honest. This woman is… just not for me. I’m happy that people seem to get something out of what she says, but I just can’t. Wellness can’t be bought and I will die on that hill.
Marla came for a visit and it was a blast. She stayed at The New Yorker hotel (which was old, wonderful and perfect), we did a million things in 48 hours and ate at Modern Bread & Bagel approx. twenty times. It was perfect.
Was so, so pleased that she agreed with me about how incredible the tart frozen yogurt is at Madison Fare.
Madison Fare frozen yogurt with raspberry
She also treated us to a Broadway show (this woman cannot be stopped in her generosity), so we saw Real Women Have Curves. And it was good!
I poached some salmon in a coconut cream sauce and it didn’t come out that great, so I think I’ll just stick to baked salmon.
I think I’m suffering from Pinterest-aesthetic-brain-overload because I was on such a mission (for some reason?) to find a perfect black cardigan to layer with some outfits I have - and I found one at Uniqlo. But once I tried it on I realized how very basic-white-woman it is and put it back. It can be very hard to fight these things that the internet tells me that I’m supposed to have. (I did buy this great baseball t-shirt, though.)
I went to Edith’s for the tahini iced coffee and it was very good. I also tried a bite of their chicken caesar and it was nothing special. Main reason to go here is definitely the coffee.
Edith’s tahini iced coffee in the West Village, NYC
Edith’s in the West Village, NYC
I got a lash lift and it’s only week one, but I can see the appeal of getting them done. I’ve been using Nulastin for a few months and I’ve been seeing length, but they’re not very curly so I guess we’ll see if this makes a longterm difference or not.
We went to visit the town where the original Friday the 13th was filmed (it’s just under two hours from NYC) and it was so much fun. I’ll do a full post on it here soon. We also went to a wedding in the Poconos and it was such a great weekend.
Some things I watched:
Final Destination Bloodlines - not as awful as I expected! The beginning scene was the most memorable/best part.
And Just Like That (newest season) - okay, this was the craziest part of the first episode:
…what the hell? Were we all supposed to think that is a normal thing to say? Infact this insane sentence is making me want to do a deep dive on ALL of the wildly dumb things these women have said over decades and we all have just eaten it right up and accepted as normal! Madness.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I really want to go to Modern Bread & Bread for their night menu, I want to make this chicken Diane recipe at home, I think I’m going to start doing my Summer Saturday posts again starting this week (the season starts when I says it does) and I might have to pre-order the Jaws popcorn bucket (below).
Nathan and I went to Central Park for the first time without Baby Dog and it was brutal but nice at the same time. Why does it feel like every person on earth right now has at least four dogs? It’s an epidemic.
Central Park, April 2025
The gluten-free restaurant Thyme & Tonic remains my favourite place on the Upper West Side. That popcorn chicken is everything.
Gluten-free popcorn chicken at Thyme & Tonic, Upper West Side
The mini cubano at Guantanamera reminded me (and fell flat) of how good the best cubano on this planet is at La Cubana in Toronto. So that was sad.
The summer felt friends were released and I might have bought them all because their faces bring me joy. (Nope, absolutely nobody’s depressed over here.)
Okay, but I would die for them
The happy hour at STK midtown might be one of the most reasonably-priced places still in this city. With a patio, too!
Happy hour at STK midtown
I saw a few shows!
Death Becomes Her - absolutely wonderful. The costumes were beyond gorgeous and fun. It was really funny and everyone did such a great job. Better than the movie.
Wonderful Town - so good! My dear friend Jessie is in it, but I swear I’m not biased at all. I loved the dancing; there isn’t enough modern tap these days.
Maybe Happy Ending - a new level of terrible. More thoughts over here.
I started using hydrocolloid bandages (that I cut up to smaller sizes) instead of branded pimple patches (that are more expensive) and they’ve been working so well. Such a cheaper option and they are way bigger than the Mighty Patch ones.
I gave in and bought a night serum: the Trader Joe’s one. Might return it though because my face has been flakier than normal lately, so maybe that’s why? I don’t know what the hell to do with my face. Can I just let it be a face… can that be a thing?
I refuse to learn what retinol is or why I need it please don’t tell me
I did this plant hack (below) and it really helped, new leaves are growing and it’s wild.
I got pistachio milk in a cappuccino the other day and I hope they never stop introducing new nut milks (ick, sorry that’s a terrible phrase). Just when you think they’re done, there’s another one that tastes great.
The best frozen yogurt (the really tart kind) is back at Madison Fare. Cannot recommend enough.
Madison Fare frozen yogurt
Levain Bakery has limited edition lemon cookies and black and white cookies right now and they’re so good. Such a perfect host/hostess gift.
I don’t usually endorse cookies that are $5+ but these are the exception to the rule
Yes the gluten-free pizza at Rubirosa is good, but do not sleep on their caesar salad. Unbelievable.
And speaking of caesars, L’Industrie Pizzeria makes a special sandwich each Wednesday so I tried their chicken caesar and it blew my mind right to pieces. I was going to request that they omit the banana peppers on it because I thought that I didn’t like them, but I kept them on anyway because maybe my tastebuds have changed (I accidentally had a black olive a few months ago and it actually tasted good??) so of course it tasted incredible. It was honestly one of the greatest sandwiches I’ve ever had in this whole city. The lesson? Maybe you don’t know everything about yourself.
Leaving Las Vegas - I’d never seen it before and never will again. Just awful. Anyone who liked it might be a moron.
Black Mirror (newest season) - my favourite episodes were definitely Common People and Eulogy. The Issa Rae one was appallingly bad.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: there’s a wedding at the end of the month that’ll be a nice weekend getaway so that’ll be fun, I really want to see the new Stranger Things on Broadway, and Marla comes for a visit! All great things.
Considering how bad January and February were, it’s kind of a miracle that this past month was so full of good things. I had the best birthday (of my life?) and it feels like there’s so much hope. Am I deluding myself? Anything is possible! But I’m going to try and ride this high as long as I can. Here’s what went down last month.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I made these cottage cheese crackers that are ridiculously good. I’ll put the recipe below because I got it from someone’s mom on Facebook (jesus, that’s the most I-just-turned-40 statement I’ve made so far).
Cottage cheese crackers
I brush the parchment paper with olive oil as well so that nothing sticks
Speaking of turning 40, Nathan took me to Turks and Caicos to celebrate and it was an incredible trip. I should probably do a post about it. Yeah, I’ll do that. Stay tuned.
I finally visited The New York Earth Room art exhibit that’s been going on for decades and it was very neat.
The New York Earth Room art exhibit
Discovered the secret to amazing chicken parm: get bone-in. Changes the entire game.
Nathan and I have started picking up garbage around our neighborhood twice a week and it’s been great. He got a trash grabber stick months ago, and it might seem insane but it makes us feel pretty good.
Some things I watched:
The Monkey - hated majority of it. And I realized just how much I loathe this new genre of body-harm horror. It’s gaining traction and I can’t stand it (think Hereditary, Smile 2 etc.)
I’m all caught up on The White Lotus and this season isn’t the greatest, so that’s been disappointing.
I’ve really been considering whether or not I should go to Dollywood this year. It’s the 40th anniversary (which we share), so that’s why I was thinking about it. Just a thought.
I saw The Jonathan Larsan Project (so good) and Buena Vista Social Club (stellar). I didn’t realize how much I really missed going to shows.
I’ve been using the Trader Joe’s facial sunscreen (the Goop dupe) for a few years now, but I saw actual proof of how good it is recently. When I was on vacation, I guess I forgot to sunscreen the very top part of my forehead and to see the difference between that small area and the rest of my sunscreened face after an afternoon in the sun? Wow. This stuff is a holy grail product.
I am in love with these duos that Target keeps releasing each season (below).
Friends
I had lunch at La Mercerie and it was good, I don’t know that I’d ever need to go back but it was fine. The older I get, the more I tend to be annoyed at trendy places.
I’m still making these GF bean muffins constantly. Yes they sound disgusting, but they might be the best chocolate chip muffins I’ve ever had. I should stop telling people that they have beans in them.
I did a spring french tip manicure and it turned out pretty good!
Spring french tips
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: it’ll be nice to pack away my winter clothing, I have to start looking for wedding guest dresses and I’d really like to make this firecracker chicken again.
The beginning of this year has been rough to say the least. There’s no way to know when things might get easier, but in the meantime - here’s what went down these past two months.
The best tweets of January can be found here and the best tweets of February can be found here.
Very in love with this Patcha Soap Co. salt scrub I got from Healthy Planet. A salt scrub is forever a good gift, especially the Sabon ones.
I ate at the gluten-free place Gud Daae on Lakeshore and it was so good.
Potato Pucks at Gud Daae
Brown Chicken Sandwich at Gud Daae
Sundae at Gud Daae
I’ve come to the newish conclusion that Sephora has nothing for me. Every single time I enter that store, I feel an alarming amount of rage. Stop telling women what they need.
Andrew Dismukes has been so good on SNL lately. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice this sooner.
I took my niece Maya to see Come From Away and it was even better than the New York production (maybe because the accents were better?).
Come From Away in Toronto, ON
I bought (and had tailored) these Gap jeans and I also bought a pair of tan loafers. Really testing out a new aesthetic here.
I finally tried out the Mel Brooks idea of slicing a bagel into three parts instead of two and I feel enlightened.
Mel Brooks is a genius mainly because of this idea
I took the kids to a maple syrup farm (Elliot Tree Farm) because it should be law that every Canadian child must see how sap is made at some point. Of course their gift shop had some gems (below).
The most Canadian candle
Incredible
I cancelled my Costco membership because I’m trying to support less American companies, so I found Bulk Mart (which is Canadian) and it’s great so far.
Some things I watched:
The Substance - such a great movie. The sounds/audio was brutal to hear at times, but all in all one of the best movies of last year for sure.
Babygirl - loved it.
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (documentary) - pretty despicable, hard to watch.
Child Star (documentary) - it was good, but there was too much of a focus on Demi Lovato (which makes sense because she made it) but I was expecting less of her.
Enlightened - I hated Laura Dern’s character so much that it made it hard to watch.
The Apprentice (movie) - meh. But Jeremy Strong was fantastic.
The Resort - the first half of the series was good, but then it took a turn.
Mommy Meanest - I love watching a bad Lifetime TV movie maybe once a year.
Little Women (the 90s one) - how have I never seen this before? Absolutely loved it.
Big Little Lies - I was expecting more since the cast is so wild, but it kind of sucked. I really don’t think Laura Dern is a good actress and the writing was so bad.
Succession (rewatch) - Logan is so much funnier upon second viewing, I didn’t notice that before.
Lost (rewatch) - still great. Still can’t really explain the ending.
The Last Showgirl - I do like Pamela Anderson but wow is she a bad actress. Also Jamie Lee Curtis overacts in every single thing she does these days and Bautista was so hollow. The script was awful, but since it had a nepo director it’s not surprising that it wasn’t good. I did like that I could tell it was shot at the Rio in Vegas but otherwise, hard pass.
Heart Eyes - love Devon Sawa, but this was nothing special. I do love a themed horror movie always, though.
The White Lotus - god, this season sucks so far. It’s just so slow, I can’t stand it.
It would be insane if I didn’t mention it here, but Baby Dog passed away in January and everything collapsed around me. It happened quickly, but I was with her until the end and it’s hard to speak about it at all even now. Every time it snows it makes me think of her so of course there was record snowfall this year. It still doesn’t feel real, so I’m just trying to take it day by day.
In all honesty, this was the hardest month I’ve had in a very long time so I don’t think I can really talk about any of it yet. I’m taking some time, so give me a few weeks and I’ll do my best to continue the monthly posts as soon as I feel that I can.
Thank you for even coming here, and even more for understanding.
Got a Philly cheesesteak from Gladiator Burger and wow. Will definitely return.
I will fully admit that crumbl cookies are overrated, but their monthly dessert specials are wondrous. Look at this eggnog tres leche (below). She’s beautiful.
Eggnog tres leche
I perused the new Half Baked Harvest cookbook and it’s absolutely nothing revolutionary, there’s a cheeseburger pasta in it for christsake. I still think we should force a limit on how many books a food blogger can release.
I did make these white wine mushroom stuffed shells and they were (as most HBH recipes are) probably too cheesy, but the vegetarians liked them so I guess it was a win.
White wine mushroom stuffed shells
I also made this slow cooker roast and it was so easy and perfect for lunch sandwiches on Christmas day. And secured the greatest (Canadian)grocery store cake: the caramel crunch cake.
Die Hard - yes, it’s insane that I’ve never seen it before now. So good.
Challengers - LOVED Zendaya’s character. Second favourite movie of the year (first was Anora). Only question was HOW was that hotel bed that big??
Jagged Edge - pretty good. I love this genre of movies (80s/early 90s thriller/mystery).
Carry On - anticlimactic ending, but overall not terrible.
Nosferatu - liked it! Honestly it could’ve just been the fun of who I saw it with, but truly hard to tell.
These little guys (below) continue to make me smile each day.
Would die for them
Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: I’m going to start using this first-of-the-month checklist again and I’ll recap my resolutions from last year as well as make new 2025 ones.
