I may frame this
Summer is almost over and I think this is the first time in years that I’ve been a little sad to see it go. I was able to visit Scotland with my family, Marla came to see me in New York, I spent the majority of August in Ontario with friends and the kids, we played so much of Wii’s Warioware: Smooth Moves, I’m maintaining the tan of my dreams and I’ve never eaten so much fresh corn in my life. What kind of summer-loving fiend have I become?? In any case, here’s what went down in August.
Friend hang!
More friend hangs!
I finished my Summer Saturdays series that I loved doing. I’ll definitely do this again (maybe sooner than you think).
The best tweets of August can be found over here.
Loving the new Urban Outfitters Cherry ICEEEE nail polish.
The coolest job of life would be to come up with nail polish names
Obsessed with making this heirloom tomato toast as long as it’s in season.
Made these stuffed summer shells that I’d definitely make again. Summer pasta is underrated.
Summer stuffed shells
Went to a Blue Jays game with my brother Robbie and some of his kids and it was so great.
Skydome, August 2023
CN Tower, August 2023
I need to bite the bullet and just buy the Lemax pumpkin patch train, right?
Maple syrup greek yogurt? I never knew how much I needed you.
Also made cake pops for the first time with my niece Maya and they turned out perfect. Halloween cake pops up next.
At my parent’s house, I found myself constantly making pizza (with store-bought dough) and it’s so much better than I remember homemade pizza being. Maybe it’s because you need to heat the spread-out dough (on parchment, with olive oil rubbed on top) for ten minutes at 450 degrees and THEN put all the sauce/toppings/cheese on it and put it back in for another ten minutes at 500 degrees.
Sausage pizza >
If you’re anywhere near Woodstock, Ontario then you need to get these incredibly squeaky cheese curds.
Went to the Humber Bay Shores Farmers Market and got this great honey soda.
Incredible honey soda
Beach sit!
My greatest discovery this summer? Sponge toffee is ungodly perfect. NO ONE TOLD ME.
In my shopping cart:
Snow globe Christmas stamps from the USPS.
Warm Apple Pie candle at Bath & Body Works
Witches dancing in the moonlight from Lemax (okay, I legit might have a problem)
I’m in love with the Silk Creamy Maple Almond milk flavour for iced coffee.
My dad got a letter from King Charles for his 100th birthday, which is a big deal whether you care about the royals or not. And since his coronation was in the middle of May and my dad’s birthday was the first week of June, there’s a very good chance that this was the very first 100th birthday letter signed by THE KING OF ENGLAND, which is absolutely the neatest thing on the planet.
Dad’s 100th Birthday letter from King Charles
I went to the CNE with my mom and it was lovely. Tried the footlong freak fries that were texturally amazing. I was intrigued by the street corn soft serve but was unwilling to spend over $5 for it. And nobody should pay over $20 for a pina colada in a pineapple so we made them at home instead.
Freak fries at the CNE
Parents with pineapple pina colada
I tried the Benefit brow pencil (because I was temporarily out of the Colourpop one I love) and it was absolute trash. Returned it immediately.
Also flew in a Harvard airplane!
The coolest photo I’ll ever be in?
Some things I watched:
Barbie (for the second time): would honestly go a third time if anyone’s into it.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (season two): I think I loved this season even more than the first. I loved that almost every episode had some fun event that took over the entire episode (the carnival one, the house party one, the motel one, etc.).
Outer Banks (first two seasons): I can’t explain the grip this show has on me. The disgust-turned-to-love I have for JOHN B confuses even me.
Simply Irresistible: so laughably awful, I’m surprised Sarah Michelle Gellar got any work after this. The magical crab was the best character.
M3GAN: first of all, it’s not a horror movie so it’s weird it was sold that way. It’s really not good, but also very fun to watch with kids.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit: I forced the kids to watch this one because my brothers and I saw it about ten thousand times when we grew up. Heathers love this movie.
Junior: how did I never see this 90s classic? It should be law to watch one 90s movie each month. They’re so uncomplicated and good.
The last ten minutes of Beverly Hills Chihuahua: I came home to my niece Tianna watching this with my mom and Baby Dog and I saw literal minutes of it and cried. I can’t see pretend-dead-dogs even when they turn out to not be dead. I’M ONLY HUMAN. (The movie itself seemed actually adorable, maybe.)
And So It Goes (the Michael Douglas/Diane Keaton movie): ugh! So bad. When you get Rob Reiner to do a job meant for Nora Ephron - you get this piece of shit.
And Just Like That (season two): are there people out there who don’t see what a train wreck this show is? I want to talk to them. Also, Carrie is not a cat person. Whoever made that choice truly does not understand this character. Since when does Steve speak Italian? Charlotte was the real winner of the season.
Only Murders In The Building (season three): love how it’s starting out so far, but it’s not really as exciting as the previous seasons.
Summer Rental: truly the worst John Candy movie of all time.
Talk To Me: good/original, but too much gross-out horror for me.
Since it’s the first day of school today, I always think of what we should’ve been learning in school instead this time of year.
I got Baby Dog’s teeth cleaned for the first time in her life and it was a phenomenal experience. I was at Pet Valu and saw that they worked with an organization that cleans your dog’s teeth without putting them under anesthesia. The team at KissableK9 Care was beyond impressive and kind and the whole thing took thirty minutes. I have before and after photos that are pure insanity. I would post them here, but like… even a chihuahua likes her privacy sometimes. Cannot recommend KissableK9 enough!
Visited the Applewood outdoor pool in Mississauga a few times and I can’t wait to try their lane swimming next summer.
My babies! (Yes their boyfriends are my babies too I guess…?)
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: putting the final touches on my Halloween costume, creating an autumn list of things to do, taking Nathan to see The Shark Is Broken on Broadway and I really want to eat the tomato salad at Shukette.
The Harvard flight day
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in July over here. And my summer highlights on Instagram can be seen here.
Romeo & Baby Dog being alarmingly cute
