This Christmas, I received 3 happy lights. H got me two different models, one of which P had also purchased for me. These are the people who truly know me well - a gift that is both an object and an experience! 

Next year, I'm purchasing only experiences for people. One of my cousins' kids received three Power Ranger toys, which he'll probably play with for 10 minutes. Baby S now has three baby dolls (one that H bought, one that I bought, and one that my aunt bought), two Baby Shark stuffies, and too many outfits (mostly purchased by me - woops). She actually will not sleep without those 3 baby dolls though, so I guess they are being used. How did she develop this personality?  

Meanwhile, I've been trying to substitute coffee with matcha, which has a slightly milder caffeine content (supposedly). Here's the matcha latte with oat milk at The Garden: 

While I've been to The Garden many times, this was actually the first to try their matcha latte, and their quality is fantastic. Not gritty, not bitter with just a bit of sweetener, and a good amount of that matcha umami brightness. Their chocolate chip cookies continue to be perfect, and I will go back soon, just to look at their plants. 

Time to start using that caffeine kick to plan for next year. On this week's list To Do: 

1. Contact a preschool for baby S
2. Start potty traning
3. Read 3 more books to meet my target of 20 for the year
4. Get a hook for the shower to hang my shower poof
5. Declutter to make space for the new baby - nesting has started! 

The rain’s back, so here we are today, exploring the city instead. There’s a new coffee shop in Vancouver, called The Garden Strathcona:

The interiors were beautiful, and there was actually a garden wall with lots of beauitul plants. Hopefully, those plants are still thriving in a year. Seating was limited though, so if you’re not too enthused about sitting bum to bum with a stranger, then I suggest getting your coffee and pastries go.



I like the aesthetic, and it’s a nice beautiful place to visit. I wish they had more seating, and less retail (there’s a corner with shelves of skincare/beauty products and a table of hand made pottery). I also wish the latte was stronger.



This place reminds me of La Foret in Burnaby. Probably not revisiting this spot in the near future though, because it’s slightly out of the way, but it is exciting to see this beautiful addition to this strip of East Hastings. I’m sure the locals are stoked.

Next weekend, I will be in Banff! Gonna be winging this trip mostly, with car camping and not a lot of research.