Brief visit to the 2-oh-4

I took a short trip back to Winnipeg to visit with friends and to pick Xierra up for Spring Break.
[Ha, funny they still call it "Spring" break -- when I landed, there was still 6 ft. of snow on the ground (slight exaggeration...slight)]
It was super nice of my friend, Edwin, to let me stay at his place.  Saved me the expense of a hotel!  Also, I got hooked up with a rental car by a good friend - which really helped me out.

Optimus Prime and Iron Man...err... Edwin and Xierra

I was super stoked that so many of my friends made it out to see me, the night that I arrived.  We went to Clay Oven for some of my favourite Indian Food in Winnipeg

Spent the next few days hanging out, spending as much time with my friends as possible, and fulfilling Winnipeg-staple-cravings along the way

"Friendsday" - Breakfast at Stella's, an impromptu GoKart race, a visit to Ikea, an Apple Store visit and billiards

My life is not complete without poutine [at Smoke's Poutinerie]

Another lunch date with my (ex)Apple crew -- this time, Caribbean food at our favourite hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Tropikis

Chicken Roti

Made sure I took an afternoon to visit with my dad -- and of course, he had my favourite filipino dish hot and ready to eat, as soon as I got there :)

Tough to get my mom's side of the family together, since everyone's always so busy -- but thankfully, we managed to coordinate a night for some delicious sushi at one of my favourite sushi restaurants, Sushi Hon

The 'cousins' - growing up so fast

And what better way to end the trip, than with a visit with my longest-standing friends from back home -- my Famous Players crew.  Bistro 7 1/4 for dinner and then Tapp's for drinks

Bloody Mary's are alright, but it still isn't quite a Caesar.

I was only there for a few days, but it was so awesome to spend time with the people I love.  You don't realize how much you miss your friends and family, until you move 900 miles away, and never get to see them - ever.

xoxo

I miss, I miss, I miss...

I've been away from 'home' for 3 months now and I think it's about time I blog about the things I really, really miss about Winnipeg.

Aside from the obvious 'friends and family', here's a list of the things that I've quickly come to realize I took for granted, having lived in Canada my entire life:

1) President's Choice.. particularly their Blue Menu.
In the 8 years that I lived in Royalwood, Extra Foods was my go-to grocery store.  I'm super sad that I don't have access to the Loblaw's brands.  The one product I miss the most is the instant packaged steel cut oats (I've searched high and low with no success). Anything that I can get in a 'healthier' variety, is good enough for me, and that's what the Blue Menu was good for.

2) Old Dutch potato chips
This is a common one among people that move away, I think.  I miss Ketchup chips and Dutch Crunch Kettle Cooked Jalepeño & Cheese, and Mesquite BBQ. *drooling just thinking about them*

3) Stella's

I have yet to find anything remotely close in comparison to Stella's.  Nothing beats the combination of Stella's atmosphere and menu.  Nothing.

   

4) Poutine

Yes, America has it's share of heart attacks served on a platter (Buffalo Wild Wings, I'm looking at you), but the fact that I can't grab a poutine at the closest New York Fries (or even Burger King if I'm desperate) kills me a little inside.

5) A&W Mozza Burger and Onion Rings

Come on. This one is a no-brainer.  A mozza burger served with hot onion rings with ketchup for dipping?  Pretty close to heaven, in my opinion.  America has A&W... but I have yet to come across one.

So those are just some of the obvious foods that my inner foodie misses the most.  There are a few more places that I miss because of the familiarity, but I know that I can eventually find places similar down here, it might just take a little time (and an open mind):

- Noodle Express for Dim Sum

- Ken's and North Garden for Chinese food

- New Hong Kong for Peking perogies

- Cora's for breakfast

- Unburger & Kawaii Crepe for Village food

- Parlour for coffee

Businesses that I miss:

6) BULK BARN!  Canadians, count your blessings that you have Bulk Barn because this type of business is unheard of down here. There's ONE bulk food place down here and it's a 30 minute drive from my place -- plus it's not even good.  I miss everything about Bulk Barn -- the variety of snacks, candies, spices, etc. The buttercream frosting, honey and molasses.  The organic food and quirky products. I miss, I miss, I miss it soooo..

photo cred: bargainmoose.ca

7) Gale's Wholesale

Oh what I'd do to walk the long, dark and dusty aisles of my favourite wholesaler in Winnipeg.  It was always nice to go there just for something to do on a day off or to kill some time.  I'd always find something to spend my money on whether it was for my business or for personal use.  I mean, who doesn't need a 5 lb. bag of Jelly Belly jellybeans?! 

8) Vantage Lounge 

Even though I had my share of ups and downs with my print jobs, I still miss having a business that I could trust to get the job done.  Business relationships take time to develop and I felt like I had finally gotten to the point that I was comfortable working with them.  I have yet to source out a printer down here -- I'm kind of dreading the process of looking for one :S

That's a pretty long list... I guess I'm missing home more than I thought.  I recognize that I just need a little bit of time to become familiar with my surroundings and get used to what's available to me.  I'll be sure to update my blog as I come across any gems.

In the meantime, feel free to send me any of the products mentioned above ;)

The busiest week, this year

Time flies.  In the last 2 weeks, I blogged ZERO times, and it's because there was just too much stuff going on around the Schmid Crib.
First thing's first -- My baby boy turned ONE!! Holy moly.  Let me say that again..  My baby boy turned ONE.  Whoa.
And to help celebrate this pivotal turning point in his life (my life, rather) we had a couple... wait, I mean a couple couples, visit us from out of town.  Bri's parents (bka G'ma Jan and G'pa Larry) took a long and scenic drive up from Chicago and my sister (plus husband, toddler and growing fetus in her belly) flew in from Mississauga, Ontario.  What a busy week it was, with planning a 1st birthday party and entertaining/spending quality time with 5 out-of-towners.  Busy, to say the least... but awesome at it's best.

My calm before the storm was Thursday morning -- dropped Xanderman off at daycare and enjoyed a quiet, relaxing moment on the patio of Stella's, enjoying the sun and the fabulous food:

Party planning, in full effect:

And because I wasn't already SO in love with Stella's (the restaurant), they went ahead and opened a separate bakery next door!  *droooool*  Oh, how I love thee:

Check out the repurposed church pews and stools:

A friendly chit-chat with one of the girls that worked at the bakery, led me realize that I'm not alone in my obsession of vintage blog sites :) Super friendly staff, and super awesome Parisian-style uniforms.  My fave.

I picked up a loaf of brioche (which I have been searching for EVERYWHERE in the city and haven't been able to find) and a half a dozen of these suckers:

My in-laws thought the world of these Cinnamon buns..."these are the real deal"

I trotted around town for the rest of the day, running errands for my baby boy's birthday party.  Here I am, in a loosely thrown-together outfit:

Let the chaos begin...

Cinco days in Mayo

A blanket of blog-laziness came over me these past few days...actually, to be completely honest -- because I know that nobody is following my blog, I kinda' felt a little discouraged to update.  I really didn't want this to get me down though, because the reason why I'm here isn't to build a following.  I have to remind myself of that.  I started blogging because I needed an outlet -- so here I am, with an overdue post:

CINCO DE MAYO

Brian and I have made it a tradition to go to Don Pedro's every year to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (even though NOBODY celebrates it here in Canada).  Thursday night was the Bulls game, and we  weren't going to miss it for dinner out.  Instead, I got dressed up and met him for lunch -- just the two of us...and it was nice :)

A warm summer-y day called for a light-coloured outfit.

Offwhite cardigan and flowered tunic from Forever 21, white (pre-prego size FOUR) capris from Zara and my silver sequin flats from Target: 

Mmmmm...those are some goooood cheeeeeeeps.

With time to kill after lunch, I popped into Mike's General Store on St. Anne's.  The place is pretty tiny, but I've always wanted to check out what kind of antiques they had -- perfect day to do it.

FRIDAY: 6am yoga class...The rest of the day was lazy, at home with Commander Xander. I did some client work during the day when X napped, and I crafted at night (more to come about this project).  It was a fairly nice day, so I took Xander for a walk to the store to pick up a few things, and timed it with daddy coming off the bus.  We walked home together - Xander kept us amused, the entire way...

old-man-sucky-face

DAAAAATE NIIIIIGHT.
Saturday was chill during the day -- it consisted of cutting Bri's hair and cleaning the house.  This was the night that we were having a sitter come over to watch Xander, while we went out ON A DATE :D
Since both of us completely dropped the ball on making dinner reservations (we're amateurs - who knew EVERY good restaurant would be completely booked on a Saturday night?!) we wound up at Earl's St. Vital -- which was completely fine, no complaints here.
After dinner, we caught a show at the Theatre (we both say that with our poor English accents, so as not to be confused with a 'movie theatre'...we're FANCY!)
We watched The 39 Steps @ MTC, which was hysterical at some points, and enjoyable all around.  

MAMA'S DAY

The day started off great, with this fantastic breakfast:

Look at my husband's culinary skillz: EGGS IN A BASKET!

After breakfast, Xander took his first REAL steps!! What a fantastic Mother's Day gift :D xoxo...
Unfortunately, Mr. Brave bonked his face on the coffee table and gave himself a shiner :(  He's a tough cookie though, and didn't cry for very long.  I think I was more devastated than he was.  But to make light of the situation, the black eye made him look pretty bad ass...


Later in the afternoon, we were off to my cousin's house for Mother's Day with the family...

Papa Bear and Baby Bear

Mama Bear and Baby Bear

Mama Bear, Baby Bear and Sister Bear

We all did our part and helped prepare a few dishes -- great food, good company...made for a pretty enjoyable day.


Here's Xander with Great-Lola (grandma):

MONDAY: 6am yoga class that completely wiped me and induced a 3-hour-long nap with Xander in the afternoon.  It's alright though, cuz it was gloomy outside anyway.  The weather made staying in, a little more bearable.  

Spent the rest of the day doing chores and hangin' with the kids.  Cooked dinner, ran out to Michael's to pick up some supplies, crafted the rest of the night and went to bed....and now it's Tuesday.

Am I boring or what?!

• A bit of client work this afternoon
• Pick daddy up from work
• Soccer game at 6:10pm, which means dinner at The Thirsty Penguin

Wowzers, Trousers!

Not too much going on, this day.. sunny skies always make for nice outtings though.  I took care of a bunch of stuff at home in the morning and really had nothing going on for the rest of the day.  I proposed a lunch date with my husband, and he bit.  Sweet!  An excuse to dress up and leave the house.

I chose to dress semi-casual - afterall, I was meeting him at his *downtown* building, which is littered with business professionals.  Today, I kinda' felt like fitting in with the crowd.

I'm not sure what it is these days, but I'm seemingly drawn more and more to fine STRIPES.  This top was bought last year at Urban Planet for like, $10.  I can't decide whether the cinched garter at the rib line is working for me or against me?  I feel like it should be accentuating my shape, but every now and then, I catch myself in the mirror and think it accentuates my big ol' child-bearing hips. Bah!

Threw on a pair of black trouser pants (pre-pregnancy, and they FIT!) and a pair of wedge sandals.

Wore some decorative earrings from Forever 21, a neutral facetted bead necklace and a few bangles.

We ended up having Sushi at Umi Sushi in the Winnipeg Square concourse.  Tiny place, but nice. Dada was in a little bit of an off mood, but I'm hoping that lunch with his lady brought a little bit of sunshine to his day...

Productive, to say the least

Enjoying a 'dark and stormy' cocktail (rum, lime and ginger beer) at Bistro 7 1/4...fitting on this gloomy Wednesday afternoon. I'm feeling a little high class, sitting at the chef table all by myself, I'm not gonna lie.

So my day has been awfully productive so far - and although I still have much to cross off my 'to do' list, this little lunch break is much needed.  It's 2pm and the only thing fueling me is a piece of raisin toast and a grande café misto.


So as I mentioned in a previous post, something quite terrible happened last week -- my purse was stolen out of the entrance way of my house. Yes, someone came into my home while me and my family slept. Horrifying.
I'm thanking the heavens that we were all kept safe, and that my purse was the extent of what they took from us. As devastating as it is to have lost ALL of my identification, it could have been far, far worse.
After discovering what had happened, I immediately called and reported everything stolen - police, license, credit card, debit cards...passport *face palm*. Everything that I needed to prove my identity was in that purse. That twelve dollar and fifty cent purse.
At 9am, after the devastation was settling, I got a phonecall from a lady who lived a few streets away -- my wallet was found, with all of it's contents scattered all over her lawn. Jesus.
She brought it over and explained that everything seemed to still be inside, with the exception of my drivers license.  She got my phone number off of a Genius Bar appointment receipt that I had kept.  Pays off to be a hoarder.


My credit card was still in the wallet.
Double-Yoo-Tee-Eff.


In fact, EVERYTHING was still in my wallet.  Debit cards, gift cards, business receipts, loyalty cards, Xierra's birth certificate, a blank cheque, my SIN card... everything except for my birth certificate and health card (which were together in a plastic sleeve) and my drivers license.  Great, 3 pieces of I.D.
Oh, but WAIT! My purse was never recovered -- which means they also have my PASSPORT. Goddammit.
So now, I'm faced with the terrifying reality that someone has 4 integral pieces of my identification. 


Terrible.


Anyway, I did everything necessary to protect myself, above reporting it to the police -- I contacted my bank and called Equifax and TransUnion. 


The morning that it happened, I got started on replacing everything.  I got a temporary license and started getting the paperwork ready for my passport application.  


BACK TO TODAY
I went down to Manitoba Health and replaced my Health Card, got my passport photos taken, went to the Hydro building to get Franco to sign my passport application and photos as my Guarantor, went to the passport office to re-apply, only to realize that I needed to fill out an extra form (since the passport was 'stolen').  I had to get a Statutory of Declaration signed by a Lawyer, Commissioner for Oaths or a Notary Public (Yeah, cuz I have THOSE types of people at my disposal?!).  Walked over to City Hall to get that form signed and returned back to the passport office to complete my application process.
*whew*
And I did all of that, in high heels.




So here I am at the *lovely* Bistro 7 1/4, celebrating my productivity with a fantastic lunch and a drink.  

Braised short rib and blue cheese sandwich 

After this, I have 'vehicle' errands to run (pick up oil, an air filter and a battery) and then I have to pick Mr. X up from daycare.  From there, it's the usual evening routine -- feed the family, watch tv, and catch up on client work.


Happy Wednesday!