Woman in Real Life

I love to eat out at restaurants, so when we're road-tripping I always find out what restaurants are on our route - bonus points if they are vegetarian/vegan! On the way to visit my parents this past weekend, we stopped in my hometown of Hamilton to munch on vegan goodies from Democracy on Locke. (That's my girl waiting for our food, above.)

This being our March Break week, we spent the past weekend and the early part of the week visiting family. And eating with family. This What I Ate Wednesday I'm looking at some of the foods we consumed during our visits. There were moments when I forgot to take photos though. For one thing, I was hungry. For another thing, watching two sometimes-naughty dogs in unfamiliar (to them) territory is distracting.

At my sister-in-law's house, we were treated to a lovely brunch, some of which is pictured above - including pancakes, peppermint tea, breakfast potatoes and a fruit platter. Yum.

It's always nice to experience a little "town" with your "country." In addition to exploring a frozen beach this March Break, we also headed into Dunnville for a bite to eat. Growing up, I spent many summer days in the town and let's just say it isn't normally vegan-friendly.

So I was beyond thrilled when my mom told me about The Minga, a new vegetarian/vegan café and community centre in downtown Dunnville. My mom (who isn't a vegetarian) had been waiting for my visit to try out the cafe. And believe me, it was our plan for day one of our visit.

A look back at the week using simple, sweet cell phone photos. That's the idea behind Insta-Friday. The "sweet" is optional. While this looks like a pretty scene, above, it's actually our van stopped at the side of the road on the way to the cottage last weekend.

The kids behaved well for most of the trip, but they got a little out of control at the end. When fists start to fly we generally pull over. This time, the husband and I actually got out of the car. (Don't worry, we took the keys with us.) Kids are pretty impatient. We have found they will behave in order to get back on the road.

This weekend was soccer-free and, as such, a great time to visit family members. We started on Friday with a visit to my parents at the cottage.

Here's the World War II airplane that rests outside the nearby Dunnville Public Library. I have to say the little head inside freaks me out just a bit. We always attend the library's annual summer book sale with my mom. Here's what I bought.

In my "Small Town Shopping" post last week, I showed you a few of the treasures I found while browsing the thrift stores in the small town of Dunnville, Ontario. I have just a few more goodies to share.

My husband and I went shopping without the kids, much to my daughter's dismay. I promised I would bring her something back. I found this cute owl piggy bank, above, at the Salvation Army shop. When I brought it home, she said, "Is that all?" Well, I like it anyway.

In addition to enjoying the beach at my parents' house this past weekend, my husband and I also ventured into the nearby small town of Dunnville to browse some shops. There is a great thrift store in town with lots of vintage dishes and records. I looked at the dishes while he looked at the records.