The Dancing Snowflakes And The Playing Children ~ Plus A Christmas Update!

So yesterday this happened!  After we left the mall, around 3:30 p.m., Toronto experienced a huge snowfall with the most perfect fluffy snowflakes!  And on the way home, playing on the radio was Waltz of the Snowflakes by Tchaikovsky, during an actual big snowfall, while children were making a snowman and all was so perfect.  Only 9 days until Christmas!

That was right after I donated all my change that had been piling up for a while to the Salvation Army Kettle and Christmas shopping.

The night before I took the above picture of the moon through my neighbor's Christmas lights.

And can you believe that there is an entire Christmas Store!  It's through Canadian Tire at Leaside in Toronto, Ontario Canada.  Pretty spectacular!  I was fortunate to get a NOMA LED light up wreath for a meer $19.99 plus tax.  Incredible deal!  I will try and take a picture of it soon, all lit up, and post it here.

Below are a couple pictures from Dufferin Mall in Toronto.  They updated and seem to have new Christmas displays too!  Looks really great!!  I did most of my Christmas shopping there  at their ToysRUs and Walmart. Very convenient and just great!

I am also in the middle of trying to find the most perfect Gingerbread Men Cookie recipe but do I go gluten free or vegan?  I mean I am mostly gluten free already personally but would it be fair to the kids or probably better?  I was thinking about buying the pre made kit but then I decided against it because most are full of things that I wouldn't want to eat myself.  I will try and post about that later.

Photo by Sharon Chen

I already decided on the recipe!  I am going for the traditional Gingerbread Cookie recipe!  It's a 5 out of 5 star rated recipe based on 341 reviews and the creator simply called it "The Most Wonderful Gingerbread Cookie Recipe"!  by Gingerkitten G.  I am sure I won't go wrong with this.  I will also buy some candies and make a simple icing for decoration and extra yum! 

Well that's it for now!  Hope you are having a wonderful winter so far and I hope that your holidays are even better!  Cheers!

Walmart Will Double Your Salvation Army Kettle Donations On December 17, 2016 & Make Toy Donations Too! Plus Silver Bells Film On Netflix.ca Now

2013 Silver Bells Film On Netflix.ca Now

My husband notified me last night that Walmart will be doubling Salvation Army Kettle donations tomorrow up to $100,000 Max and also make $80,000 donations to CTV's Toy Mountain!

Last time we where at Walmart a couple weeks ago we gave and yesterday I donated all my hoarded change too but I will make a special trip to donate more to the generous people over at Walmart!  I still have to donate to toy mountain also so I can pick up some toys also!

Last night I was looking for Christmas movies and I found a great one that included the Salvation Army!  I really liked it cheese factor, a bit of dorky acting and all. lol  I really like movies that have an egotistical jerk who experiences a bit of a fall from it but gets up to be stronger because they found their humanity and compassion!  Such a heartwarming message!

If you can't make it to Walmart and also wish to contribute online &/or volunteer please see: SalvationArmy.ca

Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings to all!  Even if you don't celebrate anything I still wish you all the best!  I just want my fellow man to be happy, healthy and doing very well!

Filling Those Salvation Army Kettles! Change Challenge!!

Last weekend I was shopping with my family and happened upon a very kind volunteer for the Salvation Army so I decided to reach in my pockets for an insane amount of change I had taken with me just in case we needed to take the bus.  We didn't so I reached down in my purse and grabbed 3 big handfuls!  Must have been over $12 in change.  Then when my husband and I were at Walmart we were so lucky to enjoy The Salvation Army band so we gave another $5.  And then I remembered about our change jar!  There was over $45 in small change alone so I am bagging it up to dump in there as well!

A glimpse of my massive change pile. lol

I have seen the good the Salvation Army does in my local community along with the world so I try to donate all I that can and you can even donate online now too.  Of course they are online so with just a few clicks you can make a good difference in the world!  For more information please see: SalvationArmy.ca  Their goal this year is $21 Million but let's see if we can up that with whatever you can give including all that pesky change all over!  Maybe check your couches and old purses you don't even use anymore.  Also note that there is a breakdown of where the money goes and it looks like they give more than 80% of their money to help via charityintelligence.ca.

Big Mac Creator Michael "Jim" Deligatti Dies So Had To Get One To Pay My Respects

"Jim Delligatti was a McDonald’s franchisee who came up with the idea in 1967 because he said customers wanted a bigger sandwich."

Today, we celebrate the 98 inspirational years of Big Mac inventor, Michael "Jim" Delligatti. Jim, we thank and will forever remember you. pic.twitter.com/wmEFrmazdn

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) November 30, 2016

As an Italian Canadian I was very proud to hear that the inventor was Italian American that created one of my favorite burgers!  You know I had to get a Big Mac combo out of respect to Mr. Delligatti!  RIP big guy and thanks!!

And, yes!!!  It was super delicious!  I could have eaten another but my thin fame couldn't handle it.  I will have to get another soon.  I don't eat fast food often but every now and then..

Cheers!!

Quaint Little Stratford, Ontario Is Very Lovely In The Fall

Ontario is a very beautiful province and the city of Stratford is no exception and it's the home of the Bieb too. lol  A great place to visit, especially if you like antiques and theater.  It also has some great little shops and book stores.  We went this past fall and it was such a lovely day and I did take some nice shots with my iPod.  The following are a few that I took that day!  

More on my Flickr in my "I Keep On Falling" folder on page 3.

I also purchased a little recipe book titled Favorite Shakespear Country Recipes by Dorothy Baldock.  I just love some of the old time recipes and terminology rarely used nowadays.

I Found A Really Retro And Cute Cherry Pie Dish

Recently we went to a church bizarre and it was beyond amazing.  So many amazing things and treats to eat and even gluten free goodies too!  We purchased the GF brownies and rice crispy treats.  Funny how there isn't a picture of those. lol  I  can assure you, however, that they were so INCREDIBLE!

So I saw the above picture adorable and hip baking dish from what looks like to be the 60s or 70s?  I want to hang it somehow in my kitchen.  For now it's been washed and put away in my cupboard for safe keeping until I can figure it out.

So it's been a while since I have blogged on here but I have been so busy and with probably one of the most important US elections that has come to light my spare time was preoccupied.  I am giving the president Elect and his admin a chance and wishing them the best.  I truly hope that they can in fact Make America Great Again with fair systems and the opportunity for people to prosper.

I have actually been updating my Flickr throughout but maybe I should make another post about my favorite time of year and a little summary of what has been going on with me outside of these couple things.

Riverside Eats & Beats Streetfest This Past June 4, 2016

Riverside is a great area filled with charm, lovely red brick and solid buildings that included some pretty amazing shops and restaurants.  

View from the parking lot!

 We hit The Opera House for some grilled Greek tasty kabobs and salad with a bit of pita bread on the side.  The patio outside was really nice, the day was so gorgeous and  we were lucky to get a seat.

After lunch we decided to go for a stroll and happened upon a dessert place right out front the restaurant!

I had a yummy French donut called a Beignet that was filled with a vanilla cream.  So soft and tasty!  I split it with my husband to be good. lol  I should have got the Nutella filled one too.  Next time! 

The beats part of the fest wasn't that apparent at first but later on there were about three live bands playing in an art shop, a pub and the street all spread out.  I think they need more music next year coming from the streets.  There were free hot dogs but the lines were massive so we passed because we wanted to see as much as we could.  

I love Toronto's Graffiti art we have some of the best in the world.  I have to add a Flickr album of all the gorgeous pictures of them I have taken so far.

There was a Riverside Art Fair Going On At The Same Time Too!

More pictures on my Flickr but I haven't grouped them into an album yet or if ever.  Should all be sorted by June 4th date. 

Luminato Glimpses Into The Post Apocalyptic, Back To The Primitive Zone!

Luminato general admission was free but there were pay events also and parking was a whopping $15 for basic parking and something even more ridiculous for VIP bit some decided to park free nearby and walk over.  The closed power plant near Cherry Beach was mostly exposed cement and pipes, however, some of the exhibits were interesting.  On until June 26th but I heard that the old plant will be converted to a club.  I was able to capture some really great shots so please take a look and feel free to hit the official website that I will put right below my pictures.

For more info regarding Luminato please see: https://luminatofestival.com/

Taste Of Italy Coming This Weekend ~ June 17 - 19th, 2016

Located in Toronto's Little Italy on College Street.  I have been a few years ago and it was really great.  We were so fortunate to secure a wonderful table at an open restaurant with a good view near the CHIN building.  There was so much yummy food available, music, dancing, carnival games, a few kids rides, gelato and more.

Above is a picture of our view from the restaurant only 30 minutes after arriving so we had great service and the food was really delicious.  

So much Italian swag there so if you are on the hunt for that sort of thing then this is the place for you especially since it's Euro time. 

We arrived early at the very start on the Friday when it just opened and I took a few snaps while they were still setting up.  We showed up in advance just so we would get into a good restaurant for dinner. This year I hope we can check out some of the carnival games and food.

This month of June is Italian Heritage Month so it's perfect timing to come celebrate and enjoy no matter what your race is because all good people that want to share a positive experience and fun are welcome!

For more information you can visit the Taste of Italy website.  Hope to see you there!

Cherry Beach Toronto is So Cherry! Dog Barrier & Dog Beach There Also!!

It's such a beautiful place and can you believe it's so close to downtown Toronto.  Actually, all of Toronto, surrounding GTA, the Golden Horseshoe and Ontario has so many amazing places.  I really love staycations to be honest.  The top 5 in the city are a great place to start.  Then go for the world's waterfall capital in Hamilton, Ontario.  We have seen 3 so far and they are amazing to say the least.  Then the Bluffs in Toronto East.  We went there during the Monarch Butterfly migration!  The place was covered with the gorgeous butterflies.  Pretty incredible!  Toronto even has a castle too, Casa Loma, that should be seen also.  You need a good month here to see a lot of the sites in my opinion.  Or just keep coming back, a lot. :)