Loti Wellness Box - July 2021

I received a Loti Wellness subscription box today ... the theme is Energize.

ORDER 

Become a member and receive 5 to 8 quality wellness and lifestyle products to improve your overall well-being each month. Prepay for subscriptions and save. Retail value of $90+ in each box! 

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Your box will be delivered right to your doorstep. Open your box to enjoy each themed box. Don't forget to share your unboxing! #liveloti 

DISCOVER SELF-CARE 

Self-care will not only help you to be more productive and to have better physical health, but also greater mental health.

Here's what I received:

Céla Exfoliating Mitt - $15 value

Exhibition Place, Coronation Park and Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail, Toronto, ON

It was sunny and hot this morning and we were expecting a big rain storm this afternoon so I wanted to get a walk in before that happened.

I headed south and passed by Exhibition Place.

Serendipity Soy Candles, Collingwood, ON

I ordered the Serendipity Soy Candles' Summer Candle Box (they are in Collingwood, ON) and it arrived today.  It costs $85 (the value is over $100) and shipping was free.  I had ordered their spring one and liked it.

Dream Higher Than the Sky &
Deeper Than the Ocean - ocean waves

Patio Time - citronella and lemongrass

Queen's Royal Park, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

After Gord and I left The Irish Harp, we headed a couple blocks towards the water and walked around Queen's Royal Park ... it's a cute park.

That's Old Fort Niagara across the water in Youngstown, NY.

It was nice to walk along the water.

The Irish Harp, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

After Gord and I left Niagara Falls, we had a late lunch/early supper today at The Irish Harp in Niagara-on-the-Lake.   We've been there a couple times before and like it.

We sat on the sidewalk patio

We shared Pull Apart Garlic Loaf (it was really good and we brought some home). 

Gord ordered Guinness Shrimp Tacos, which are now wraps, with no tomatoes and upgraded to onion rings. He said they were really good and he’d get them again. 

Niagara Falls, ON

It's a warm sunny day and Gord and I headed to Niagara Falls.  It was nice to get out.

On the Canadian side, it was fairly quiet as nothing is open yet because of our Covid restrictions (only restaurant patios) ... usually it's jammed anytime of the year! The American side is open and there were lots on the Maid of the Mist with no social distancing.

U.S. falls

The line-up on the American side
to get on the Maid of the Mist

Maid of the Mist

U.S. falls

Canadian falls

La Cubana, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at La Cubana (on Ossington Avenue, just north of Queen Street W).

Gord ordered with a mojito and I had a Cuba Libre, which were tasty.  My second Cuba Libre had a lot of lemon juice, though, so I kept diluting it with Coke.

Gord ordered a Pressed Cuban Sandwich (ham, pork, gruyere, red onion, cornichon, grainy mustard, chipotle mayo).

Book ~ "Yearbook" (2021) Seth Rogen

From Goodreads ~ Hi! I’m Seth! I was asked to describe my book, Yearbook, for the inside flap (which is a gross phrase) and for websites and shit like that, so … here it goes!!!

Yearbook is a collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst and life-changingly amazing at best. (I understand that it’s likely the former, which is a fancy “book” way of saying “the first one.”)

I talk about my grandparents, doing stand-up comedy as a teenager, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish summer camp, and tell way more stories about doing drugs than my mother would like. I also talk about some of my adventures in Los Angeles and surely say things about other famous people that will create a wildly awkward conversation for me at a party one day.

I hope you enjoy the book should you buy it and if you don’t enjoy it, I’m sorry. If you ever see me on the street and explain the situation, I’ll do my best to make it up to you. 

Seth Rogen is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker.  I like the majority films he's been in and I thought this would be a fun and interesting book ... and it was.

Rogen was born in Vancouver, BC, to a Jewish family of Ukrainian and Russian origin.  He starts by telling us about his parents and grandparents growing up in the Depression and how he started out doing comedy as a young teenager in lesbian clubs.  The book is chunked up into chapters and each chapter is a story ... like how/why he started taking karate, the trip he and his buddy took to Amsterdam (and Paris), working with Snoop Dogg and his "muses", his views of Twitter, meeting his wife, Lauren, and more.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book.  I've read books like this in the past and they've let me down.  But Rogen's book is funny and interesting.  I like reading bios/autobios to find out about people's lives and Rogen's voice in this book seems honest as he's telling his stories.  He sounds like an enthusiastic guy who would be fun to spend time with.  As a head's up, there is A LOT of swearing and stories of drug use.

Old Fashioned Beef and Barley Soup Mix, Mitchell’s Soup Company, St. Thomas, ON

I made Old Fashioned Beef and Barley Soup from a Mitchell’s Soup Company mix (they are in St. Thomas, ON) for supper this evening.

Almost everything is in the mix. All I had to add was ground beef, onion, carrots (we had no celery so I added extra carrots) and a can of diced tomatoes. I got it started around 2pm and let it simmer for a couple hours. 

Ta-da! It was good and hearty!  There's tons left over for my lunches this week! Yay!

Book ~ "Dog Eat Dog" (2021) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, enjoy walking their dogs, Tara and Sebastian. By this point in their marriage, it's routine. When out for one of their strolls, their simple ritual isn't so simple anymore. Across the street, a man is mistreating his dog. Three things happen at once: Andy yells, Laurie runs to stop the abuse and so does a closer passerby, who so thoroughly beats the owner that both are arrested when the cops arrive.

Andy scoops up the dog and takes him to the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that's always been his true passion. Meanwhile, at the police station, the passerby is identified as Matthew Jantzen and he's wanted for murder. Andy and Laurie are struck by the fact that Jantzen, a man on the run, would nevertheless intervene to help a dog, and decide to find out more.

Andy is a criminal defense lawyer who doesn't want any clients.  Because of the money his father left him and some lucrative cases, he is able to not work and spend his time with his friend, Willie, running the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue that he and Willie formed.  He is married to Laurie, they have a young son, Ricky, and he is enjoying his life.  He love love loves their dog, Tara, and thinks she's the best dog in the world.  They also have another less lively dog named Sebastian, who he also loves.

Andy and Laurie were walking their dogs when they saw a man abusing a dog.  As they rush over, another man, Matt, gets there first and beats up the man.  Matt is arrested along with the other man and Andy gives Matt his business card in case he needs help.  It turns out Matt is wanted for the murder of two people two years ago in his hometown in Maine and is hauled back there.  Andy begrudgingly defends him.  Despite Matt not knowing the victims, the prosecutor has what seems like an airtight case ... Matt's blood was found under the nails of one the victims and DNA doesn't lie.  One of the victims was possibly involved in dealing drugs and a radical militia group so he could have been a target for many.

This is the 23rd in the Andy Carpenter series (I've read them all) and I have been enjoying this series as the author is able to keep this series fresh and fun.  Even though it is part of a series, it works as a stand alone (so you don't need to have read the ones before it to know what is going on).  I like the writing style as it was funny, sarcastic and amusing.  It was written mostly in first person perspective in Andy's voice.  It was interesting to see Andy away from home as this doesn't happen often.  I liked the story for the most part but found the ending convoluted ... I had to read it a couple times to figure out what was going on.

I like Andy ... I think he would be a hoot to be around and he's quite generous with his time and money (he didn't charge Matt for his services or those he had provided).  Part of Andy's team is the K-Team (Laurie, a former police officer and now an investigator; Marcus, an investigator with "persuasive" reasoning skills; Cory, a former police officer; and Simon Garfunkel, Cory's former canine partner).  Sam is his accountant who is also a computer hack who wants to be part of the action.

Legends Grill, Hamilton, ON

Gord and I had a late lunch/early supper today with his son, Ken at Legends Grill in Hamilton.

Ken had a Ring of Fire burger and fries. It was quite a substantial burger! 

Gord had chicken tenders and fries and said they were really good. 

I had wings with medium sauce and they were just the way I like them! 

Jen was our server. She was fun and friendly and took good care of us. Thanks, Jen!

Coconut Candle Company - June 2021

My June Coconut Candle Company subscription box (full size) arrived today ... the theme is summer.

Our subscription box is the best way to experience our hand poured coconut wax candles. Each themed box has a surprise selection of unique candles that we've never released before. 

We have two different boxes available, the full size subscription box with over $100 worth of candles and the mini subscription box with over $80 worth of candles. The full size box also contains a gift from another local business. 

Shipping is included in the price of the boxes. 

Treat yourself or a loved one to an aromatic journey throughout the year!

Here's what I received ...