Don't Tell The Kids...

   

          Don't tell my kids but the other day the Mr. and I had ice cream for lunch- and it was the best thing ever! A balmy- sun shiny- January day is the perfect opening day for the new neighbourhood ice cream parlour- our favourite Earnest Ice Cream is finally with in walking distance! No longer will we have to drive halfway across town for a scoop or pint of what is arguably the best ice cream in Vancouver- Earnest has opened a second location at the foot of Mount Pleasant- Quebec and Second- adjacent to the Mr.'s office it should be noted- perfect for spontaneous lunch dates!

       So while my kiddos will surely get their fill during the dog days of Summer vacation for now this is our little secret- totally confirming what every child thinks is happening when they are at school or go to bed- the adults are indeed having all of the fun! Incidentally I had the Rhubarb Crisp- genius flavour paring- the Mr. had a Hazelnut- Rum combo which was equally delish. So I will say what I have been saying all week- to basically anyone who will listen- get thee to the ice cream shop ASAP!

P.S. we were their second customers- we may or may not have been that excited about ice cream on a sunny January day- God I love living in Vancouver!

Earnest Ice Cream is Earnestly Good!

       We discovered Earnest Ice Cream about a year ago at the Winter farmer's market out at Nat Bailey Stadium and we were instantly hooked! Originally it was just the Salted Caramel then we sampled our all time fave Blasted Chocolate- yup chocolate ice cream infused with Blasted Church Merlot- our kid's called it "Mummies Wine Ice Cream" and they would not be too far off the mark! This past week marked the opening of Earnest Ice Creams bricks and mortar scoop shop at 3992 Fraser Street in Vancouver.- you know because we needed yet one more reason to love this area of town!

          Part of what I love- beside the amazing flavour combos- is the fact the every thing about Earnest Ice Cream is so honest! A quick glance at the ingredients list will read like a grocery shopping list- eggs, cream, milk, lemons, blue berries- just whole food- much of it local. Plus this delicious treat comes in a re-usable glass jar- take your clean lids and jars back for a dollar off your next pint- how good- or Earnest if you will- is that!

         A few things to consider before you go- take cash- or a credit card as they don't take debit yet- all prices include tax- a pint with four spoons is $11- worth every penny! It is busy- the line up was out the door- which is fantastic for their first week in business- the folks at the scoop shop handle it like pros though and the line up moves quickly- do not let the line up get between you and your ice cream! And finally- it is tough to pick just one flavour- we went for Milk Chocolate- divine, Vegan Lemon- delish and Blueberry- heavenly!

p.s. can I just say the design nerd in me loves the look of the store! That penny tile back splash? Get out of town!

Playing Hooky

     Even the best laid plans often go awry and so yesterday when our day full of plans fell apart we did what anybody would do- we played hooky! I am well aware that these glorious days of sunshine are coming to an close- and quickly at that- months of rain are in our very near future and so with that in mind we ditched the laundry and hopped on the Seabus for an adventure. The Seabus runs between Gastown and Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver- we don't get over there often it just really isn't on our radar- so being there was a bit like being on vacation and obviously when you are on vacation you eat ice cream for lunch!

    We wandered through the public market and hung out harbour side speculating on the distant shore of downtown- OK mostly we were looking for our apartment building! Once we had exhausted the possibilities of the market we ventured a little further only to discover a small park tucked next to the Marine Technology Institute. It was so restorative for me to sit in the sunshine while the Littles explored new play equipment and interfered in a game of extreme Frisbee.

       Just being out of our element combined with the luxurious feeling of ditching all my chores and responsibilities really made this day feel like a true day off. We eventually meandered home where the Littles excitedly rattled off all they had seen and done to the Mr. who listened with envy- I'm sure he would have liked ice cream for lunch as well!  Yesterday was a great example of serendipity that once ruled how I lived my life- since having kids we have become much more scheduled and organized. So thank you fate for the reminder- when life gives you lemons you just play hooky!

A Day at the Farm

    A recent morning found us meeting some dear friends out in North Vancouver at Maplewood Farm, We had never been before but word on the playground was this is the place to go if you have toddlers- we decided to check it out.  What we found when we got there, a mere 15 minute drive from our place, was a bucolic paradise in the middle of a busy city. The way Maplewood Farm is situated you would never know you are smack dab in the middle of North Vancouver and that just to the other side of those trees is a Superstore.

  
     Filled with examples of your typical farm animals this is more petting zoo than farm which by 11:00 on a Saturday morning is teaming with small people under the age of 4. It got busy quickly and there were actually people waiting at the gate to get in- us included. This indeed is the place to bring toddlers on a warm summer morning- playground rumours confirmed. I would safely say that this place is great for kids under 4 years of age- the Boy got a little bored quickly after feeding the cute sheep. The milking attraction which involved buckets of water and squirting people also really seamed to draw a crowd of 4-5 year olds.

      Miss Lo and her friend however loved the Farm, the bunnies were a big hit as was feeding the ducks. Bird seed conveniently purchased when paying admission- perhaps the gates opened a tad late due to putting the finishing touches on the bird goodies? The girls are almost three years, born in a year when 5 other women I know had girls and they were all born with in 4 weeks of each other- apparently we moms were indeed drinking the cool aid that year. Three seams to be the magic number for a visit to the farm- the girls really had a good time and loved seeing the baby goats and cows.

      I had a lot of fun playing around with my new camera , a  Pentax digital SLR which makes me feel like I am back in Photography 101. No I wasn't lucky to have the cool professor Briar Craig who I heard was pretty much the most popular Prof in the Arts Dept. I had the crazy guy who walked around in socks and sandals, playing the jazz flute- I didn't learn much that year- but I digress. Needless to say I had a great time shooting tonnes of pictures of super cute kids who moved around a lot and super cute animals who did not move much at all.

Obviously after a trip to the Farm a stop in Deep Cove for ice cream is a must! Miss Lo takes after her mother (thats me) and has never met an ice cream cone she doesn't like- one day I will be saying that about Gin & Tonics I am sure. After our celebratory stop at Gelato Express ( what were we celebrating? I don't know- surviving the Clydesdales perhaps) and while the Mr. was mopping up drippy ice cream faces I slipped away for a few minutes to my favourite shop in the Cove for a sniff around.

Much to the Mr's relief and my chagrin I quickly realised I had left my wallet at home,  I could have easily come home with a cute Maileg bunny - keeping in the spirit of the day- or a colouring poster from Draw me a Lion. The choices are tough to make in such a well curated shop- hence making it one of my faves! It doesn't matter what time of year we head out to the Cove we always have a great time in such a beautiful place- and next time I wont forget my wallet!