framily || Father's Day 2014

This house business has been kicking my butt! I had a few posts sitting as drafts for a while; sorry this is so late, hahah. I know it was a few months ago now, but Father's Day was pretty rad this year. My parents had their laundry room remodeled. I don't have any "before" pics, but I still love these "after" pics! The view from the kitchen. The laundry folding/hanging station is my favourite! This was before they painted the cabinets. Sink big enough to give Jake a bath, and built-in shoe cubbies.
I used to try to buy my parents gifts for Father's/Mother's Day, but they have way more money and free time than I do, so it was always like, "What do you get the person that has everything?" and then I'd buy my mum some more candles or something weak like that. These days, I spend a Sunday morning cooking for them instead (: My dad's a big fan of breakfast, so that's what I made him for Father's Day.

We started with bacon, of course. I've heard a lot about baking bacon in the oven, but I'm not actually a fan of bacon, myself, so I didn't really care enough to experiment. Maybe next time! Jake's always underfoot in the kitchen, wanting someone to throw a tennis ball for him. My mum found this recipe for pancakes that called for lemon zest and ricotta (I forget the source; she clipped it out of a magazine, I believe), and they turned out absolutely delicious! Zesting is pretty simple when you have a little zesting tool! Ricotta and sugar. I was a little dubious as I don't really like sweet cheeses, but I carried on... for my dad's sake (lol). Starting to look pretty good. The rest of the ricotta went into the pancake batter. Snack-sized pancakes! Turning golden... First batch, ready to eat! The batter contained ricotta and zest, with extra ricotta/zest for topping. ❤︎❤︎❤︎Heart-shaped everything!❤︎❤︎❤︎ I'm the best at staging photos, u guise Who needs utensils?
I don't normally like pancakes, but these were seriously delicious. They were sweet and just a little tangy! I'm a little disappointed in how dark some of these photos turned out- I need to play around with the settings on my camera a bit more!

But what's a fancy breakfast without strawberries? That little green thing is a tool specifically for coring strawberries. See what I mean about "what do you buy the person who has everything"? ;) Heart-shaped ❤︎❤︎❤︎everything❤︎❤︎❤︎
Another fancy breakfast must: mimosas! I don't much care for orange juice by itself, but it sure tastes great mixed with champagne, hahah. While I was making breakfast, Mum was prepping dinner for the crockpot (pork chops with craisins and apples). My parents, in all their glory. My dad loves balancing things on Jake's head.
Almost every time I visit my parents, I paint my mum's toenails. I've offered to do her fingernails, but she can't stand how much faster manicures chip than pedicures, and turns me down every time. I offered to do my dad's toenails, too, but he declined and went outside to enjoy the weather instead ;) Nothing too fancy, just red and orange with a flower decal. Excuse the indentations on her toes, my toe separators are way too firm! By the time I'd finished, my dad had fallen asleep. I can't blame him, it was perfect napping weather! Don't tell him I took this pic! ;)
Every time I take my camera over to my parents', I take more pictures of their backyard. It's such a gorgeous yard; I'm so jealous! I hope one day my yard will look half as amazing (minus the pool, of course, hahah). Waiting impatiently for me to throw some tennis balls for him. "Hurry up!" This is not a bush, but a few panels of fence covered in ivy. I fucking love ivy! Bird feeders, most of which need refilling, hah. Not a tennis ball, but Jake will still chase it ;) Jazzed-up drainage ditch. Found this little guy wandering around on the patio table! I think it's a hister beetle of some sort, but don't take my word for it.
By the way, the pork chops turned out great! ;) Hope your Father's Day was as great as mine! House post coming soon :)

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framily || Jake and Daisy

Meet Jake! A few years ago, I would have introduced him as "my" dog. I've since moved out of my parents' house, so I don't get to maintain that fantasy anymore! He's my parents' dog, but that certainly doesn't make him any less amazing.

He has a thing about cameras, though. I spent thirty seconds trying to get him to look at the camera, and then he tried to eat it... Oh, Jake. He loves his tennis balls. Sit, Jake! Okay, go free. I love this dog, he's such a goofball ❤︎

My parents' lot actually extends a few feet beyond the fence, so I was a little surprised to see a random dog in what was technically my parents' yard, hahah. It seems that the people in the lot behind my parents' recently adopted a dog named Daisy. Jake couldn't be happier! Randomly looking evil. Playing through the fence.
I love my parents' backyard. It's huge and absolutely filled with plants. My mum put a lot of hours into it, but it's mostly my dad's labour of love. He's definitely the green thumb in the family! The main focus of the yard is the pool, obviously. Jake absolutely loves getting in the pool! He used to jump in whenever the urge struck him, but drying him off is a chore, so my parents taught him not to go in without express permission (he's such a good boy! I seriously love this dog).

My dad taking Jake's collar off so it doesn't get wet. Middle of Texas, and he's got on a Toronto Blue Jays shirt, a Toronto Maple Leafs cap, and blue and white shorts to match them both. So Canadian it hurts, hahah. When Jake was younger, he used to leap in. Now, he kind of just steps down into the water, hahah. Waiting for my dad to get in. My dad was throwing balls for Jake, and I managed to snap a pic just before one conked him on the noggin. This is what Jake looks like anytime he's paddling around. He must think he's swimming in a giant water dish or something, because he seriously does this the entire time he's in the pool. It's a saltwater pool, so the only potential health issue I'm aware of is dehydration, and he always has plenty of fresh water available, so we're content to just laugh at him for being a goof.

My dad's a big fan of balancing things on Jake's head, hahah. Unfortunately, Jake's not the best at this sort of thing... Don't worry, he got it after a few more tries ;) I tried making a gif, but it didn't turn out so well, hahah. Oh well, here it is anyway! Anyone else's pets love getting into the water?
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