girls rule, boys drool.

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last night, i had my girlfriends cass & neena over (paulie cooked us dinner and the four of us ate the best pierogies with jalapenos in our dining room like one big happy family--i swear, paul has more girlfriends than any man i know). afterwards we sat on a blanket in the backyard, just us girls (india too of course) talkin' nail talk while toni braxton's "you're making me high" played on the laptop. 
it was a great little monday evening.

while we chatted, cass pulled up the video below, and i instantly fell in love. i don't know if i have been living under a rock for the last month or what, as this shit has gone crazy viral, but i am so glad she showed it to me. lennon & maisy are sisters, and they're canadian ta boot. from outside of toronto, they grew up on a 170 acre farm with no tv, internet or cell phones. lennon is 12 and maisy is a whopping 8 years old, these girls are cooler than i ever could be. when i grow up, i wanna be as cool as them. when lennon started singing, i couldn't believe she was only 12, her ingrid michaelson tendencies only make me more excited to see how amazing she is going to be as her voice matures. come on, her name alone (which i am smitten with, and if i didn't already have a lennon in my life, my future child would have been named this) has set her up for success. girls are the shit.

niagara lately: volume I.

"squeaky swings and tall grass.

the longest shadows ever cast.

the water's warm and children swim.

and we frolicked about in our summer skin."

i think this might be the first time in my life that i have let where i live, show me its truest colours. lately i have found myself, more than ever, being taken aback by not only how handsome it is, but how lucky i am to get to live here. growing up, i complained about how there was nothing to do, how there was nothing worthwhile to see, but as i grow older, i have come to appreciate if only a fraction of all that niagara has to offer -- it's quaint, it's unique, it's the perfect little spot, 
and i'm happily nestled right in the thick of it.

sometimes you just need a reminder.

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having this week off from work (with zero plans or things to do) has been just what i needed to get me right into the thick, heavy, laziness of summer. when the days are so hot, it takes all that's in you just to stay awake and keep going. we were fortunate enough to get the time off together, and i think the most productive thing we have accomplished all week, was being able to make permanent imprints of our asses in the couch. mine on the left, paul's on the right, and then there's india, right in between.

a part of me feels guilty for not doing more, while another part of me, a much larger part, is just fine with how things have played out. getting to spend time with each other, alone or with friends & family, and at home with the cat and pooch, is something i won't always get to take advantage of, so while i can, i will.

like the italians say 'dolce far niente'; the sweetness of doing nothing.

those italians sure as shit know what they're talkin' bout.

happy weekend.

the coolest carnival themed birthday party. without the creepy carnies.

a few weeks ago, one of my colleaugues-turned-good-friend nancy, asked me (as well as a few of our other co-workers) if i wanted to help her out with her daughter nickole's 10th birthday party. it was a carnival themed, last day of school, pool party soirée, and all of her friends and classmates would be there. i couldn't say no to nancy or nickole (seriously they are the cutest, tiniest humans on the planet, and when i hug nancy, i give her no choice but to motorboat me), so of course i said i would be there. we decided i would photograph the party, help run some games, and keep a hairy eyeball on a backyard full of pre-pubescent, tweens.

the party started at 4:30, and when i walked into the backyard for the first time, i couldn't believe the transformation that had happened. it was amazing. each kid was sent a home-made invitation, including a clip of tickets that they were to bring to the party. once they arrived, the birthday girl greeted them to take their ticket, and with a loot bag to fill while they were there. on the back of the ticket booth, was the photo booth, where each child could pick a prop, sit down, and have their picture taken. these photos were sent off to be printed during the party, and handed out as they left as a keepsake. i know. it's so cute i could shit.

a kissing booth (guess how many hershey kisses to win them all), tattoo station and several classic carnival games were set up and in constant use. tickets were won when playing the games, and redeemed at the prize table, complete with whoopee cushions, pinwheels, whistles and candy.  i didn't see one kid without a massive smile plastered on their face the entire time i was there, and i think i had that same ridiculous look on my face too, it was the best birthday party i have been to. after stuffing their faces with a candy buffet (i spent my fair share of time at this table), chips & hotdogs, cotton candy, individual bags of popcorn and cupcake ice cream cones, they swam in the pool and told me who had crushes on who, and that no, the nerdy boy wasn't cute, and would not grow up to be hot, rich and successful. i warned them that the boys they thought were cute, would grow up to be bald and have beer bellies, but they didn't believe me. i'll see about that in 20 years.

as i left the party, i couldn't help but think about how lucky nickole is to have an amazing mom like nancy.  i saw how much work and time she put into making this birthday, the best nickole would ever have, and i know from the smile on her face, and the way she sparkled that day, that it was exactly that. in a way, it makes me excited for when the time comes that i get to be that kind of mama for my own babies, and it makes the martha stewart inside me fist pump like an idiot.

long weekend pink lemonade sangria.

i have a friend, her name is nataschia. she is sweet, kind, unexpectedly hilarious and can photograph the shit out of anything--seriously, she can even make my super shy, usually looks like 'sloth' from "the goonies" in photos boy, look like the model he is deep down inside. apparently the only thing this woman can't do, is make a decent pitcher of sangria. so when she emailed me recently and asked me to post a recipe of a version of this tasty summer treat, (as the last batch she made "burned her throat"), i had no choice but to make her proud. yes, testing and perfecting the perfect cocktail is hard work, but someone's gotta do it.

now i have tried my fair share of sangria over the last few years, (pitchers for $5 in montreal? sure, swing me two), and i am yet to find one i haven't liked yet. usually a combo of orange juice, gingerale and either white or red wine, there isn't one thing about it i'm not a fan of. what i hadn't had the pleasure of trying, was a lemony version of this sweet, sour, sparkling bevy, and i wanted to change that. considering pink lemonade + vodka is one of my favourite drinks, i thought i would take those flavours, and add some vino to it, as everyone knows everything tastes better with vino. 

how we do: pink lemonade sangria

makes 2 pitchers (because i'm italian and can never do things in small doses)

you will need:

1 can of frozen pink lemonade concentrate

500 ml of sugar free lemon fresca

1 750ml bottle of white wine (pinot grigio or riesling)

raspberries

lemons

easy and self explanatory, this recipe can be done ahead of time if serving as a signature cocktail for a party, or when you're shit faced and want something light and refreshing. make up your pink lemonade in a separate container, and while the concentrate is still frozen. to the pitcher you are serving from, add half of the pink lemonade mixture, half of the lemon fresca (i used sugar free as the pink lemonade mix is super sweet on its own) and half of the bottle of wine. i used a local pinot grigio as its main notes are citrus fruit, so it went well with the whole flavour profile i was trying to create. <---who do i think i am?

in a wee bowl i mashed the shit out of 4-5 raspberries with a bit of sugar to make a pulp. <--that's more like it. this went on the bottom of each glass, first for colour, and second to add a pulpiness to the sangria that you normally get when using orange juice and other fruits. fill your glasses halfway with ice (i prefer adding ice to the glasses instead of directly into the pitcher so it doesn't water things down, and so you can make a bigger batch of sangria. always thinking), add your sangria mix and finish with a few raspberries and a squeeze of lemon juice. i added a fat juicy raspberry and a slice of lemon for garnish.

a perfect mix of sweet, sour and bubbly with a nice amount of wine, 2 or 8 glasses of this and you are lovin' life. miss. nataschia, i hope this both quenches your thirst and tickles your fancy, without the burning throat business.