The Weekly Roundup: Toronto's Best Gelato and Tablet Woes

 Hello Friends!  It's hard to believe that we are now in the middle of August.  I couldn't even picture August way back in March when Toronto went into lockdown.  The internet became my connection to the world.  Work (until I was laid off) was conducted online and I caught up with friends via Zoom.  My tablet provided entertainment, connection to the outside world and an escape. I used to take my trusty Samsung tablet with me everywhere...to the local coffeeshop, to work, I even took it with me on a trip to Australia.  Now it followed me from room to room.  It really was like a virtual extension of myself.  And then one day, the unthinkable happened.

I got up one morning after a late night spent on DIY renovations, picked up the tablet which slipped from my fingers and fell face down on a tiled floor. When I picked it up, my heart sank. I felt like I had lost a friend.  The spiderweb cracks in the screen really affect the touchscreen's responsiveness and minute shards come away when I touch it.  I do want to repair it one day if only for old times' sake.  If you have any tips on safeguarding personal information saved on a smart device before handing it over to a technician, please let me know.

We are in the middle of a heatwave here in the Big Smoke.  To my mind, it just isn't Summer, pandemic or not, without a trip to the best gelato store in the GTA, Hollywood Gelato.

This is how you do gelato during a pandemic:

This was one time I was thankful that I was wearing gloves as the gelato began to melt as soon as I stepped outside into the scorching, humid heat.  I got 3 flavours for $7.00.  Pineapple & Mango is at the top, Valrhona Chocolate in the middle and Hazelnut on the bottom.  The gelato from Hollywood Gelato hits that perfect combination of creamy smoothness and an intense, complex flavour profile without a hint of sickly sweetness.

How is your Summer progressing?

Budget Friendly Dry Wall Repair How To

Hello Friends!  Now that I have done as much as I can do on my own with the kitchen makeover, I have decided to move on to the closet in the office.  I say "office" but it is really a bedroom that I have been using as an office.  I suppose that many of us have had to commandeer a space in our homes as an office space.  Unfortunately, the shelf in the closet wasn't really meant to hold heavy office supplies such as reams of copy paper and client files.  Over time, the brackets holding up the shelf had begun to tear away from the drywall.

The shelf itself, which was nothing more than a pressed melamine board, had also begun to bow in the middle.  I don't know why I left it so long.  I think I was a little intimidated at the thought of removing it.  It is the second time I have had it repaired and the contractor who installed the current shelf had assured me that it was never going to rip out of the wall.  Famous last words, right?

Funnily enough, taking everything down was a breeze!  The screws and anchors had torn so far out of the wall that it wasn't difficult at all to dismantle.  Unfortunately, when I took everything down, gaping holes were revealed.  The holes went right to the other side of the drywall.

Can you believe that I remembered that I had the very things in my toolkit to effect the necessary repairs?  Really, it was a bit like finding a spare can of paint in the exact right shade to paint out the blue stripe in my kitchen makeover which you can read about here.

Yes, there is such a thing as a wall bandage!  Basically, it is a self adhesive fiberglass mesh that you place over the hole which provides extra support.  First I filled the hole with as much drywall compound as I could.  Then I cut a generous sized square of the wall bandage and placed it over the hole.  

I used a putty knife to trowel on the drywall compound.  

If you can't find wall bandages then self-adhesive drywall joint tape is basically the same thing that comes in a roll instead of sheets. 

 I did find that the tape was much less sticky than the bandages so it didn't adhere to the wall as well.

Once the mesh has been completely covered by the drywall compound, sand it smooth.  Repairing dry wall is a much more cost effective option than tearing it down and installing a new sheet of drywall. Also, it is something that you can do yourself that doesn't really require any specialized skill set.   Now I can move on to the next phase which is planning drawers and shelves for the closet.  It is a bit of a conundrum because I want drawers and shelves to hold office supplies but which can be repurposed down the road to hold clothes.  Also there has to be some hanging space so that the closet can be used for hanging clothes later on if need be.  I don't want to do what I did last time which was to put up another shelf and pole.  I would love a closet that looked like it had custom built-ins in it similar to California Closets but that is not in the budget.  Speaking of budget, the cost of the repairs was a big fat donut as I had everything I needed on hand.  I can't wait to move on to the next phase. Stay tuned for that!

Budget Friendly Kitchen Makeover How To During Lockdown

Hello Friends!  I hope that, wherever you are, you are slowly emerging from lockdown.  The city that I live in is still in Stage 2.  Now that we are have been spending so much time at home, the comforts of home have never been more important.  Finally, I have the time to attend to those repairs that have been  pushed to the back burner for years.  Although I would love to gut everything and start fresh, my minuscule budget didn't allow for it.  Not only that, I had no idea how to manage social distancing with any contractors that I hired as I live in a condo and not a spacious home.  The kitchen cabinet doors were in dire need of repair but I had 15 (!!) cabinet doors and 4 drawer fronts to contend with, all of various sizes.  I checked budget friendly sites like Ikea to see if I could purchase new doors but I was unable to find anything that was even close to the sizes that I needed.  After much research, I turned to Amazon, who is fast becoming my new bestie, and ordered several rolls of matte white veneer.

I chose matte white because the kitchen doesn't have any source of natural light and I felt that white cabinet doors would help to bounce light around.  There are a variety of textures and colours available, such as a faux wood but the veneer is essentially a plastic contact paper so I figured that faux wood would look...well...glaringly faux.

The cabinet doors have to be clean of any grease or dirt.  Trust me when I say that even the tiniest speck of dirt will cause an air bubble to form around it. I was pleasantly surprised  to see that the rolls were made in Germany so I was assured of quality.  There are grid lines printed on the backing paper to help you cut straight lines.  Keep the backing paper on until you begin to apply it.  If you completely remove the backing paper before application, there is a greater likelihood of air bubbles forming.

I used a rolling ruler to help smooth down the veneer as I was applying it.  I pressed down firmly on the ruler while holding the veneer up and away from the ruler.  I found that the backing paper peeled away on its own simply from the forward motion of the ruler.  I used a utility knife to trim off the excess around the edges.  

You can reposition it a few times if you find that you have made a mistake but the more you manipulate it, the greater the chance of air bubbles forming.  I had a can of spray glue at the ready but I found that I didn't need it.  Any air bubbles can be gently massaged away.  Remember to pull it tightly around the edges as air bubbles tend to form along the edge.

Refinishing the cabinet doors actually went quickly once I became familiar with how to apply it.  The fact that the doors are flat without any moulding or protruding trim really helped.

The next thing I tackled in the kitchen was the blue bulkhead.  The blue stripe running along the top of the upper row of cabinets had always vaguely bothered me.  It had been painted blue a long time ago on the advice of a real estate agent but I just found that it had no relation to the other elements in the kitchen at all. During my lockdown decluttering efforts, I found a barely touched pint can of paint in a closet along with brand new rollers and brushes.  Finding that can of paint, in the same shade as the rest of the kitchen, was like finding gold.  No need to mask up and go to the hardware store with the sign on the door that said "5 minutes max."  I don't know about you but I am fairly certain that no one in the history of humankind has ever been able to choose a shade of paint and get it mixed up in under 5 minutes.  I had everything I needed to paint over that blue stripe without spending a dime!

Before:

After:

I am so pleased with how it turned out.  The kitchen looks modern and refreshed and has a more cohesive look. The rolls were around $19 each and I needed 6 rolls.  Expensive for what is essentially contact paper but much cheaper than getting new custom doors.  I think that this is a good option if you are a tenant or if you are looking to refinish cabinetry on an extremely tight budget and have no prior experience or special DIY skills.  You don't need any special tools except a pair of scissors, a utility knife and a ruler or something similar.  Best of all, it was a project that kept me occupied and sane during these troubled times.

ASMR Fruit Smoothie Video

Hello lovelies!  I mentioned in my previous blog post that I was enjoying making fruit smoothies in the morning.  I use frozen fruit chunks which is wonderful during these hot hazy days.  I use a fruit juice as my liquid base but you can always use a milk base (dairy or plant based) as well.  I really don't know why I was so intimidated in the past.  I think I thought that I HAD to incorporate fancy supplemental powders into the concoction.  The great thing about smoothies is that you can customize it to your own individual taste.  It is virtually foolproof as there is no cooking or baking involved.  I find the process of whizzing it up to be meditative and relaxing and now it is something I look forward to with anticipation.  The video is pretty much self explanatory which is why there is no voiceover.  Enjoy!

Life Update and May Monthly Favourites Outlander Thinksport Sunblock and Morning Fruit Smoothie

Hello my lovelies, I hope you are well and not just surviving but managing to thrive as well.  As the title of this blog post suggests, a little life update is in order.  After a couple of months of agony, I joined the millions of jobless people around the world.  The timing was particularly bittersweet as it occurred after my school had an inspection and a recording of one of my classes was presented, unbeknownst to me, as the showcase of exemplary online teaching.  Now that I have had a few weeks to digest what happened, I realize how much stress I had been under for a very long time and still am to a certain extent.  It feels odd and discombobulating to have to reassess my life and identity at this stage of the game.  I am sure that many people everywhere are going through the same process.

Part of reassessing my life is trying to get my health back on track.  In the early days of lockdown, a lot of staple items disappeared on store shelves including fresh meat.  Have you noticed a sharp increase in prices in your area of the world?  I am really curious/concerned about the knock on effects from the rise in the cost of living juxtaposed against a recording setting unemployment rate.  I was under so much stress from juggling my then job and living under lockdown that I had no choice but to eat foods such as potatoes and white rice that I shouldn't be eating due to health reasons.  My health began to deteriorate and now I have to try and get it back on track.  Recently I started making fruit smoothies in the mornings.

For some reason, I have always been intimidated by the idea of getting on the smoothie bandwagon.  I don't have any fancy powdered supplements on hand to add to it although I am open to trying that in the future.  A simple fruit smoothie with any juice that you have on hand as the liquid base and a selection of frozen, roughly chopped fruits works for me.  The frozen chunks act like ice cubes which is yummy in hot weather.  I have been adding in store bought frozen chunks of avocado.  It doesn't change the flavour profile at all and adds in healthy fats.  I could never catch whole avocados at the right point of ripeness and ended up throwing away a lot of them.  Discovering frozen chunks of avocado was an absolute game changer for me.  I have also tried adding in peanut butter for a more savoury taste but prefer the ingredients to be all fruit.

With the onset of sunny days, I picked up a tube of Thinksport sunscreen.  I was searching for a sunscreen that was cruelty free first and foremost.  It contains no Paba, parabens, phthalates, PBA, ozybenzone, avobenzone, petroleum, gluten, dairy or toxic chemicals. I don't surf and sadly, don't live near a coastline and with the current travel restrictions won't be going near one any time soon.  However, for those of you who do, Thinksport SPF 50 sunscreen is reef safe and is on Hawaii's approved sunscreen list. 

I was really pleased to find mine at Shoppers so no need to order it online and deal with a protracted delivery time.

I bingewatched the latest season of Outlander and indulged in my crush on the character of Jamie Fraser.

The books are lengthy and get more and more convoluted to the point of absurdity with each volume.  To be honest, my interest began to wane after Jamie and Claire moved to the New World.  However, the series, out of necessity, cuts out a lot of the chaff without losing the essence of the storyline.  A definite thumbs up from me!  Now I have to find something else to watch.  Any suggestions?

What sort of adjustments have you had to make during lockdown?  Have you seen the cost of groceries going up?  Have you noticed any shortages?

This is not a sponsored post.

The Weekly Roundup Netflix Bingeworthy La Roche Posay Takenaka Bento Bowls Lockdown Edition

How are you, my friends?  I do hope you are not just surviving but finding a way to thrive during this new normal.  I think we are all discovering new ways to fill our spare time at home.  My love affair with Netflix has ebbed and flowed over time.  There is a huge array on offer but that means it takes a fair amount of sleuthing to sort out the gems.  I've had a soft spot for Scandi noir ever since watching "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy and my search on Netflix dug up "The Valhalla Murders."

I binge watched this series from Iceland with glee.  Yes, a grim murder mystery might seem like strange viewing right now but the stunning shots of Iceland in Winter and the plot twists and turns were exactly what I needed.  It wasn't on the same level as "The Bridge" but it definitely came close.

I ordered this bento bowl by Takenaka from Chapters.  It has two compartments and has locking clips on the side of the lid.  Yes, lunchboxes and the like aren't really in high demand right now but hear me out.  It is BPA and lead free, made in Japan  so it is a bona fide bento bowl and the bowl without the lid is microwave and dishwasher safe.  It really isn't that easy finding containers that are made in a "reputable country" without paying a premium price tag.  This will be going to a family member who relies on junky restaurant takeout containers for storing her leftovers and has a birthday coming up.  The 50% off price tag made it an easy decision.  My order arrived within a few days which was a surprise as I have heard of very long delivery schedules from the likes of Amazon and Sephora.

I picked up this sunblock SPF 50 by La Roche-Posay at Shoppers.  Father's Day is coming up and mine lives in Nevada.  Even though he has been sheltering in place for months, he does have a back yard.  The Anthelios XL SPF 50 cream comes with a free 50 ml tube which makes it a really good value.  I always find men, especially when they are your aging parent, incredibly difficult to shop for.  They are at an age when they don't really need or want anything.  I do find that simple practical things tend to go down the best.

What have you been doing at home these days?

This is not a sponsored post.

April Monthly Favourites Lockdown Edition La Roche-Posay Facial Roller Facial Masks Office Organization

Hello lovelies, how are you all doing?  I hope you are not just surviving but have found a way to thrive as well, notwithstanding the current circumstances.  I thought I would do a Monthly Favourites, the Lockdown Edition, as I haven't done a monthly favourites in..well...months, really!  So let's do this.  First up is La Roche-Posay's Cicaplast Levres (Lips).

I have always had a lot of issues with lip balms.  Despite claims of being hydrating and moisturizing, they tend to dry out my lips and cause massive peeling and flaking.  I hate anything that has mint, spearmint, chilli extract, lemon extract or any type of lemon derivative in a lip product.  These ingredients, while they cause an initial cooling effect, actually trigger an inflammatory response that just worsens the condition of your lips.  La Roche-Posay's Cicaplast Levres is a holy grail product.  It is paraben and fragrance free and contains all the good things like lipids that your skin needs to repair itself.  I picked mine up at Shoppers for $10.95 CDN.  La Roche-Posay, which is a French masstige brand, is usually available at the pharmacy.  Right now, with department stores closed, the only place to go for skincare is the local pharmacy or the grocery store. I am sure that, like myself, many of you are keeping a sharp eye on your budget.  La Roche-Posay isn't astronomically priced like other luxury French brands and it isn't cheap as chips either but for a made in France quality product I would say it is good value for the money. I noticed that the cosmetics section at Shoppers was closed off but, thankfully, the masstige skincare section wasn't.

Next up is a new addition to my skincare routine which is this jade roller.

Can you believe that I picked this up at Dollarama (Canada's version of the Dollar Store) for a bargainous $4??  Who knows if it is made of real jade but the cooling effect is the same.  And yes, Dollarama is still open because it sells food albeit the canned and packaged, long shelf life sort which is what everyone is racing around to find anyway.  There is something so soothing and meditative about using this roller.  Believe me, I have been rolling away like mad.

If, like me, you are working from home, you have had to quickly figure out how to set up a home office.  My home office area has become a bit of a bomb site but this handy gadget has really helped to bring in a degree of organization.

The cable organizer was spotted at Dollarama for an inexpensive $1.25.

Lastly, I picked up a selection of facial masks (and no, not the surgical kind, I haven't seen those around in many weeks) at Shoppers.

They were on offer for well under $3.00 each so I picked up a few to put into care packages to mail away.

Stay safe! Stay healthy!

This is not a sponsored post.

Comforting Things To Do When You Are At Home

How are you?  I have realized that no one has actually asked how I am doing whilst sheltering in place.  I have been inundated with exhortations to Be Thankful!  Be Grateful! Smile! Cheer Up!  but no one has actually asked me how I am really doing.  Maybe this is you too?  Maybe, like me, you are feeling anxious, stressed, wondering if you are going to have a job at the end of all this,  when will the end come, what will the world look like and so on.  I had to go through a range of emotions akin to the stages of grief.  I realized I was grieving for all those deaths around the world and many more to come and also for the loss of our way of life.  There has been a loss of innocence that strikes right at the heart of our existence.  Those days of blithely spending hours in a crowded restaurant or cafe are long gone.  One day, we will go to a restaurant again but I think there will always be that niggling sense of worry and fear.  Can you even imagine trampling through a horde of people on Black Friday or Boxing Day?  The very thought makes me break out into a cold sweat.  

As the days and weeks passed, I began to settle into a semblance of a routine and to find ways to keep myself occupied at home. I have realized how important it is to nurture one's health with nutritious food and there is nothing more nutritious and comforting than homemade chicken soup.

Break out that fine china and cutlery that you only use a few times a year.  You can easily make each meal an occasion by using the fancy china that you have been saving "for good."  I have a set of Denby cutlery that I rarely use because the handles are made of the famous Denby pottery.  In the above photo, you will see a Denby spoon.

I did a stock take of my kitchen cupboards and came across a tin of Ghirardelli hazelnut hot chocolate.  I truly cannot remember how I acquired this tin but am so glad I discovered it.  It is amazing!

It is so creamy and rich.  The hazelnut flavour combined with the dense chocolate goodness is so satisfying. Diet, you say?  What diet?

I also did some baking.  I had a set of silicone cups that I had never used.  In the spirit of making do with what I had on hand, especially now that grocery shopping is so arduous and flour has disappeared off the grocery shelves, I whipped up some oatmeal and applesauce muffins.

I must say that, in these times, it is important to not just be kind to others but to be kind to yourself as well.  It is okay to feel what you are feeling.  Lean into those emotions.  There is no need for you to come out the other end as the next Mother Theresa or with a degree in astrophysics.  Let me know how you are doing as I truly want to know.

Living in a State of Emergency

Let me start by saying that I don't know where to start.  Like many, many other people around the world, I am at home.  My province declared a State of Emergency in the wake of the spreading pandemic.  The few stores that are open are grocery stores and pharmacies. Normally bustling city streets are eerily quiet.

To be truthful, it was a relief when the schools closed.  I work as a teacher and the school that I work for (not part of the public system) was absolutely against closing and probably would have forced us to keep working if they hadn't been ordered to close.  And no, I don't teach young children who tend to be asymptomatic or are at low risk of infection.  While everyone was madly stockpiling, I was working long hours with no time to prepare.  The mounting stress was unbearable.  On the last day of in-class instruction, I rushed out to my local grocery store for my weekly grocery run.  This is what I was confronted with.

One empty shelf after another.  No rice, no pasta.

No canned goods of any type.

No potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes.  No vegetables at all.  No onions, no garlic.  What?!!!  Who hoards onions and garlic?  There was no meat of any kind, no fish either.  Same for eggs.
Even a few days later, the meat shelves were empty at all local grocery stores.

Hmmm, I have been thinking of eating more vegetarian meals but being forced into that was a little disconcerting to say the least. 

And yes, I decided to get creative with my protein source by quick marching to the vegan/vegetarian aisles and checking out plant based options.  All I can say to that was that I was S.O.L.

Forget toilet paper and any kind of disinfectant.  Because my home is small and I live downtown, I have never felt the need to have a pantry.  I had very little in terms of basic staples at home.  Believe me it was incredibly challenging on all levels.  Even now, several days later, I have to go to quite a few grocery stores to find what I need.  At a certain point, it becomes counterproductive because I am putting myself at risk every time I go out and have to deal with panicked crowds of people and crazy lineups.

How have you been adjusting to the new normal?  It has been hard to adopt a zen attitude when the future feels so uncertain.  I, like countless others, have absolutely no idea if I'll have a job waiting for me when this is finally over.  I have been struggling to find some words of wisdom but I don't really have any except to say, "Please practice social distancing."  Do it for the sake of the humanity.  Containing this contagion will only work if we all join in together.  

Getting Organized for 2020

I know, I know, it is a bit of a late start in terms of getting organized for the New Year.  Doesn't bode well does it?  In my defense, I am holding with the Lunar New Year, haha.  As usual, I made sure to have my 2020 Moleskine planners which I ordered from Chapters, ready to go.

The large one I use in my day job.  The right hand side page is a lined blank page which is great for jotting down ideas.  The smaller blue one I keep in my bag.  I have been using my phone more and more these days but still prefer paper when it comes to long term planning and brainstorming.  There is something about putting pen to paper that really gets my creative juices flowing.

A bulletin board has been something that I have been toying with for some time.  Inevitably, it gets cluttered with wilted post it notes and other random bits and pieces and ends up as an eyesore.  I picked this up in the Boxing Week sales at Chapters and it now resides on the fridge.

It is a magnetized, dry erase notice board.  I really like the image on it and the fact that it has the days of the week demarcated on it.  The little saying on it isn't too kitschy either.  It comes with two little magnets and a marker as well.  The felt wiper on the cap is too small to be effective but is a nice idea.  

All these tools help to keep me on task.  2019 was a year of tremendous upheaval.  There were so many challenges on so many different levels.  Looking back, I do have to say that I feel an enormous sense of pride that I "manned up", faced those challenges and just kept going.  I found depths within myself that I never knew were there and rediscovered parts of myself that I thought were lost forever.  Old friends stepped forward and buoyed me up.  Now when I look at the blank pages of my planners, I think to myself, "Who knows what's next?  Anything could be waiting for me 'round the next corner."

This is not a sponsored post.

Last Minute Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas Steamery Sephora Purdy's Chocolates Eataly

The clock is ticking down and I am sure we are all running around like headless chickens.  Here are some quick suggestions, if you are like me and have only just finished work and feel like a deer caught in the headlights at the very thought of braving the mall.
Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has been buzzing about Steamery.  Since when did people salivate over gadgets that look after one's clothes??  I suppose it is an offshoot of the whole idea of sustainability and looking after one's clothes so that they last longer.  You would never guess that this pink egg is actually a fabric shaver.

I got mine at Nordstrom.  If the man in your life balks at attacking his sweaters with a pink Pilo fabric shaver, Chapters carries them in black as well.  Steamery also offers a clothes steamer which is on my Wish List.

Gift packs filled with travel sized skincare goodies are a great option for the skincare and beauty maven in your life.  

I got this Ole Henriksen gift pack with travel sizes of Truth On The Glow cleansing cloths and C-Rush Brightening Gel Creme at Sephora. 

Yummy treats are always a hit at this time of year.  Who can say no to a box of Purdy's chocolates?

The best thing is that they come pre-wrapped which is such a brilliant time saver.
Speaking of food, I popped into the newly opened Eataly.  Yes, Eataly is now in Toronto! No need to go trekking to New York.

The place was an absolute madhouse but there is no doubt that you could put together an amazing hamper here with very little effort.

Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments!

My First Purchase with Thredup and Review

If you are a long time reader of LBH, you know I love digging through thrift and charity shops.  However, finding a good score in the shoe department has always been a bit of a fail for me.  Let's face it, do you really want to shove your feet into a pair of boots that have been...sweated in?? At the end of this summer, my sandals were completely thrashed.  I couldn't find anything that was both comfortable AND stylish during the end of summer sales and fit my budget.  As the weeks ticked by, summer slipped into fall then winter and summer sandals disappeared from the stores.  That's when I happened to check out Thredup.  It is an online consignment store based in the US.  The prices are so, so easy on the wallet.  My very first search yielded these J Crew sandals.

I was in shock because I had missed out on a pair of J Crew sandals (new) a year or so ago that were almost identical.  These are made of black suede.  The low 1 inch heels are wrapped in gold foil which you can just make out.  I took a gamble as I don't think black suede photographs very well.  Every bit of lint and dust was showing up on the Thredup photos.  However, the price was such a bargain and with the discount for signing up, it was lower still.  Shipping took about 10 days which I felt was reasonable as it was coming from the US. Items are initially shipped to a distribution center and a third party handles the shipping.  This process is probably what impacts the shipping time.  The sandals arrived in a plastic bag.  If you are in the US, don't make the mistake that I made and rip into the bag in a frenzy of excitement as soon as you receive it as you can reuse the bag for returns.  Unfortunately, because I am in Canada, returns aren't allowed.  I am not able to sell items on consignment either.

Thankfully, the sandals were a hit.  Even though they are described as used, they look like they have barely been worn.  The material content stickers were still affixed to the sole.  I have to say that Thredup is a fantastic resource if you want to shop sustainably, have a limited budget or like me, looking for something out of season.  There a lot of items that are new with tags and items are constantly coming and going.  They even ran a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale!  Now, all I need is somewhere warm to head to in order to escape the doldrums of a long Canadian winter.

Have you ever shopped at Thredup?  What was your experience?

This is not a sponsored post.

Black Friday Wishlist: Schmidt Home Depot Cole Haan

A sudden life change gave me the opportunity to begin to arrange my home in a way that suited my new circumstances.  As always, Black Friday is a great time to replace those things that are worn out and need replacing to getting those coveted must-haves that have been sitting on one's wishlist forever. So herewith is my wishlist.
I was given a knife block set years ago as a Christmas gift.  To be honest, I have always hated it.  It took up a huge amount of counterspace.  The knives have begun rusting and I just don't use many of the knives.  I am sure we all have gifts that we don't like and simply tolerate because they were gifts.

I picked up this set of Schmidt knives this past weekend.  This small curated set is all I need.  I find I reach for the 6" chef's knife over and over again.  The Schmidt knives aren't top of the range but they aren't Dollar Store knives either.  They are wicked sharp and have a balanced feel in the hand.  The wood handles are gorgeous and will look better and better over time.  They are available in Canada at Crate and Barrel.
My unitized washer and dryer is slowly dying on me.  The last time I was at Home Depot, there were no sales at all.  Black Friday sales seem to start earlier and earlier each year so hopefully I will be able to pick up a replacement very soon.

via Home Depot

I am in love with Cole Haan right now.  I ordered this pair of winter boots and the timing of their arrival was perfect as within days of said arrival, Toronto experienced its first snowfall of the season.

They have shearling cuffs and as with all of Cole Haan's Zerogrand line, serious take-no-prisoners treads.  In the middle of a Canadian winters, the sidewalks become perilously slippery and boots that grip onto snow and ice are a must.  There is lots of room for thick socks and, remarkably, were comfortably straight out of the box, no breaking in required.

via Cole Haan

I am definitely going to drop by Cole Haan again and see what else captures my eye.
So what's on your wish list?

This is not a sponsored post.

Life Update: Suddenly Single and Life After Separation

This week's Weekly Roundup is more of a Life Update.  It's unusual for me to lift the curtain on my private life as whatever gets published on the Internet tends to live on forever.  But for the sake of authenticity, I do want to allow a bit of a sneak peak at what has been going on behind the scenes at LBH just to provide a bit of context.  This year has been tumultuous and stressful, even more so than last year.  Without warning, I became a Singleton again.  I didn't have much choice really as I discovered that my long term partner had been having a long term affair.  One plans for retirement, for a holiday and for buying a new car or appliance but never for a separation.  I ended up picking up extra hours at work wherever I could and for long stretches of time I was working 12 hour days.  Unfortunately, I couldn't keep that up anymore.  Years of being in a toxic relationship had taken its toll on my heart (really and truly!!).  I am so thankful that I live in a country that has public health care.  But now a lot of time gets taken up with visits to the doctor and the cardiology clinic.  On top of all that, after 2 years of negotiating, my workplace finally unionized!  The down side to that is that we had to wait over a month to get even a partial payment of wages while management came to grips with such novel concepts as direct deposit and biweekly pay.  I'll leave my thoughts on that for another post. What this meant was a tightening of the belt.  In the spirit of WWII's philosophy of Make Do and Mend,  anything that needed repair was mended instead of rushing out and buying a replacement.  The strap had ripped off one of my favourite tote bags so I took it to a local tailor to have it sewn on again.

Tintin and Snowy get to live again!  You can make out the extra stitches on the upper left side.  I love that my tote bag gets an extra lease on life and I am supporting a local small business.
I have always liked strolling the aisles of Dollarama (Canada's version of The Dollar Store).  You just never know what sort of deals may be lurking on the shelves.  While I was waiting to get paid, trips to Dollarama  pretty much became the order of the day.  I was very pleased to find Canadian healthy pet treats there.

Any pet owner will tell you that healthy, natural pet treats and food normally come at a premium price.  This pack of freeze dried chicken was only $2.50.  Now if only I can break the furkids' addiction to the junky stuff...

I was thrilled to find a couple bottles of my favourite hypoallergenic shampoo (which I have written about here).

Live Clean hair products go for over $9.00 at the drug store but it was only $4.00 at Dollarama.

I have to take my hat off to anyone who is able to maintain a heart healthy diet and live on a tight budget at the same time.  Recipes and tips would be greatly appreciated!

In the future, I hope to keep you updated on everything I have learned in terms of financial recovery, adjusting to life as a Singleton and reconnecting with myself after living for years in negativity and chaos.