Community for Kate / Hope for Kate

For more information about this family and the fundraiser see http://hopeforkate.com/, the article in the May 20th edition of the Kitchissippi Times (available till Wednesday) or the segment that recently aired on CTV at http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100518/OTT_ILLNESS_100518/20100518/?hub=OttawaHome or got to http://ottawa.ctv.ca/ and search for "kate drury". 

PLEASE NOTE that fundraiser tickets are only available in advance - they will not be sold at the door.  ALSO, because there are a limited number of tickets available to the event, if you wish to donate but do not plan to attend, please select the "donate" button rather than purchasing tickets that you won't use.

This promises to be a highly enjoyable evening for a very lovely family and a very lovely girl!
 
Some background if you haven't read previous posts:  the Community for Kate initiative to raise funds for 2 1/2 year old Kate Drury demonstrates exactly how friends and neighbours in a community can pull together to make a difference.  Kate is a lovely little girl who suffers from a number of severe health problems including developmental delays and complete hearing loss.  On June 7 from 6:30 - 9:30 the Blue Cactus restaurant in the market will be hosting an evening of hors d'oevres, cocktails, a silent auction and raffle in an effort to support her and her family. 

Calling Kitchissippi Bloggers - are you out there?

I'm trying to find out who in kitchissippi is blogging...and about what.  Are you blogging?  Do you know someone who is?  Would you let me know?  You can either comment by clicking on the comments button below or e-mail me at the address above.  I'm curious.....

Bieber Fever and Yo Gabba Gabba

Ok, they really aren't my thing.  Well, actually, I can't comment on Yo Gabba Gabba because I don't know what they are...but what I do know is that tickets for the August 24th Justin Bieber concert and the September 19th Yo Gabba Gabba appearance go on sale on May 27th (Thursday!).  For Sens Insiders (something anyone can become simply by registering online), there is a pre-buy opportunity for Yo Gabba Gabba's tickets starting tomorrow at 10:00.  

The little I know of Justin Bieber is that he is 13 years old, born in Stratford Ontario and a teen phenom.  Ticket prices range from $32 to $52.

All I know of Yo Gabba Gabba is that they are brightly coloured, there are 5 of them, they have apparently been to the White House (which is further than I ever expect to get!) and they appear to be for the preschool set and have two concerts, one at 1 pm and one at 4 pm.  Ticket prices range from $20-$40.

Sunday Excursion - the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Lansdowne

My youngest guy regularly gets up around 5:15 a.m.  My husband was kind enough to let me sleep till 6:30 but then he was done.  I'd wanted to go to the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Lansdowne Park http://www.ottawafarmersmarket.ca/ for some time so out the door the rest of us were by 7:30.  The market runs from 8:00 until 3:00 on Sundays and, starting June 17th, from 1:00 till 6:00 on Thursdays.  It;s located in parking lot 4 of Lansdowne Park (there are lots of signs) and we just parked nearby along Bank Street.

At least early on it wasn't busy and there are many things to look at.  The worm farms were of particular interest as were the metal sculptures and wood carvings.  Each "big" boy was allowed to buy a baked treat and we also got a bag of apples.  I had been looking for farm-fresh eggs but they were all sold out by 9:00.  It's not necessarily a cheap place to go - the food is local and homemade but presumably also low-volume and the prices reflect that.  A 2- litre basket of apples was $5, we had a cinnamon bun for $1.50, a very tiny but beautifully decorated (though not so tasty) piece of cake on a kebob stick for $3 and a 1/2 dozen (delicious) tea biscuits for $6.

The best part of the visit?  On leaving we thought we'd visit the horses we'd seen being hitched up to a wagon when we arrived and give them an apple.  Not only did we feed them, but the boys gave them their water buckets, sat on them and we then took a free wagon ride (though we did leave a donation in the box).  We even met someone we knew and realized that a lot of other people on the ride were very friendly regulars.  The drivers have a friendly joke and song routine going and the ride is long enough to make it worthwhile.  You get on and off on Holmwood Avenue - there's a gate leading from the market near the big tents - and theride takes you on a jog around the blocks of Holmwood and Fifth Avenues in the Glebe.

If you're searching on the web, do not confuse this market with Lansdowne Farmers Market which is in Pennsylvania!  (and is open on Saturdays, not Sundays)

Sunday Excursion Part II - Watson's Mill, Manotick

This was our second stop after Sun -Tech Greenhouses (see previous post) and it was the perfect choice.  I was surprised that we had not heard much of the mill before - it's a beautiful building in a beautiful setting and well worth the visit.

We'd learned things here too.  Sunday's are the best time to visit - (1) the mill is operated between 1:00 and 3:30 every Sunday afternoon; (2) the mill is child friendly and has a variety of hands-on exhibits; (3) the mill will be part of Doors Open Ottawa on June 5th and 6th the same dates as Dickinson Days, the annual Manotick festival; and (4) one can buy duck feed - $1 for a decent sized bag - and feed the ducks off the bridge outside.  A number of people were also fishing.

For more information visit http://www.watsonsmill.com/

Sunday Excursion - Sun-Tech Tomatoes

On Sunday we went to viisit the Sun-Tech greenhouses (http://www.suntech.ca/). I had thought of it a while back in the context of learning about local produce and researching where to buy fresh food - they grow tomatoes, cucumber, eggplant and beans. We learnt a few things (1) Sunday is actually the worst day to go because very few people are working and so there is really no one who can show you around.  Any other day is better - Saturdays are fine. That being said the 1 person who was working was willing enough to leave the shop and take us into the greenhouse...and she knew what she was talking about..  (2) Don't go if you're allergic to bees.  There are hundreds of bumblebees in the greenhouse.  They're friendly bees because they live in a great bee environment with lots of plants, but they are bees.  (3) Sun-Tech will be part of Doors Open Ottawa on June 5th and 6th.

If your children want to run around outside there is lots of space but I would still recommend combining this outing with something else - our choice was Watson's grist and flour Mill in Manotick (http://www.watsonsmill.com/).

Eating our way down Carling from Churchill to Sherbourne

I'm thinking of ways to make our 2 month apartment stay more exciting.  I'm also thinking of ways to avoid cooking.  There are 16 restaurants/food outlets on Carling between Churchill and Sherbourne (a 1 km, 4 block strip), representing a variety of cuisines.  Our goal is to eat at each one of them and particularly those that we have never tried before.  Our goal is also to ensure that we all find something to eat at each one.  My boys are picky eaters, both with very different tastes, who don't typically appreciate dining out .  Meals for them are sustenance but after that they'd rather go do other things.  Skip the conversation!

If you have any recommendations let me know!

The list of restaurants, starting at the Sherbourne Carling intersection on the south side heading east to Churchill and then returning on the north side, is: 

• Manila's Best Supermarket
• Tim Horton's
• Mrs. Le Restaurant Vietnamese Cuisine
• Amber Garden & Dalmacia
• 1000 Sushi Islands
• Georgie's Pizza
• Japanese Shogun
• Ho Lee Chow
• The Pizza Shop
• Mr. Sub
• The Rose Bowl
• Silver Spoon Thai Cuisine
• Pizza Pizza
• Aladdin Convenience
• Malak Pastry
• S & G Fries and Burgers
•  

Renovating

I need to get up to date again with this blog.  My excuse - we're renovating - gutting the first floor of our house and moving out for 2 months.  We spent the last week packing (and for good measure we also all got the stomach flu). 

In the process of packing we somehow managed to established what I'll call a "grafitti wall" in our kitchen.  We all began writing to each other, to our house, to the contractors and to the world at large. My son's note to our kitchen gave me a good laugh.  "Dear kitchen, See you soon old ugly kitchen or mabey never.  P.S.  Hope you don't get hurt".

Tomorrow we will have a mural painting party - why not?  The walls are coming down.  Contractors please don't cancel on us now!!