Not "Croque Madam"

I've long been curious to try a "croque monsieur" or a "croque madam" sandwich - traditional French sandwiches made by dipping ham and cheese sandwiches in a mixture of egg and milk, then frying them, as one would fry French toast. 

I was under the impression that the "croque monsieur" had ham and cheese between the slices of bread but "croque madam" only had cheese...

So I made what I thought was a "croque madam" - because I had no ham.

But I was wrong! Turns out that both croque monsieur" and "croque madam" have ham and cheese in them. But "croque madam" has a fried egg - sunny side up - on top!

I need to try that!

But I did use the leftover egg and milk mixture for a small serving of scrambled eggs - which I drizzled with homemade strawberry jam...

A delicious dessert!

Volleyball Camp

Last week Ivy went to "beach" volleyball camp in the mornings... 

No beach! But they played barefoot in sand!

(I remember playing volleyball in the school gym in high school. I wonder if the rules are the same...)

It was fun to watch her skills develop.

After camp, there were various options - including shopping!!)

One day I drove her to a friend's house. Another day we went to a mall.

Yet another day, we met up with her father. His car was in the garage - so we ended up going to pick up her brother at his soccer camp as well.

We all had a good time! 

Fun to hang out with my granddaughter... And for me, a well-needed break from the post-flood chaos at home!

Drying Walls - After the Flood

Once the wet carpeting was removed from our basement, we had to work on drying the floor and walls.

Several carpenters cut out the bottom 2 feet of all the drywall...

Before doing that, all shelving has to be pushed into the centre of the room.

Then fans and industrial-sized dehumidifiers are brought in to dry everything - floor, wooden framing under the drywall - everything! 

As it dries, the wood is sprayed several times with an anti-fungal solution.

After everything is dry, the next step is to rebuild. In the meantime, boxes of books and things retrieved from the basement fill every vacant corner of the upper two floors of the house!!

Smoky Sky

The past day or two, we've had slightly smoky skies from forest fires in Quebec.

Smoky skies make the sky look pink...

The sun actually looked red - like the photo below - though in some of the photos it looks faded, almost white.

My son and I ran here and there in the yard, hoping to capture the perfect picture...

Some are lovely - but it's impossible to match the beauty of the "real deal" - the beauty of nature!!

Removing Waterlogged Carpet

One of the early tasks we needed done after the July 1 flood was having the waterlogged carpet removed before mould appeared and it began to smell...

It was hard to find someone to do it...

Restoration workers were in high demand.

So we were thrilled to find one recommended by a neighbour...

And we breathed easier once the carpet - and the smell - were gone!

What is This?!!

I often buy gifts ahead of time - then forget about them, and move on... only to find them months - or even years - later!

This happened recently as we were clearing shelves untouched by water in our flooded basement. They were in a Bombay Company bag...

What is this...? Who did I buy it for?

I simply can't remember...

A teapot and warming stand?! Cute!

I guess if nobody in the family wants it, I could use it - or maybe donate it to charity.

It reminds me of Tibet or Nepal - two places I've never been.

So True!!

Came across this on Instagram...

Good to be reminded! 

Found this on Instagram's "easy fitness over fifty" (from Newfoundland, I think). She has a lot of easy exercises as well!