a diary of little things and curiosities: today i believe...

I know I've talked about Laura Marie Given in the past, but I just had to talk about her again! She writes the most delightful blog called "a diary of little things and curiosities", and all of her entries are interesting, but my favourite posts she writes are her, "today I believe" series.

I came across her latest entry and just had to share with you all a couple of my favourites that, somehow, it's like she's going into my mind and finding exactly what I'm feeling, and is able to put it into words for me in a way that I just can't.

She also always posts the most amazing photography, and I'm always left wondering where she finds such gorgeous gems!

If you haven't already checked out her blog, you should. :)

***Please note the quotes below are not written by Elizabeth Marie, but by Laura Marie. EM is simply a reposting admirer. :)

a diary of little things and curiosities: today i believe...:

"... that there's nothing quite so invigorating as really smart, thoughtful conversation.

... that it's important to keep some secrets to yourself.

... that you can't always give your all, and sometimes "just enough" really is enough.

... and that sometimes, you just have to choose, acknowledging and accepting that you'll eventually, either way, be forced to look back and wonder if what you did was right."

Saturday Mornings at the Market!

One of my favourite things to do in Toronto these days is visit the St. Lawrence Market. Saturday mornings are my time to go and explore what local farmers, artists and entrepreneurs have to offer people like me who have wandered down for a look.

I usually like to buy things like fresh veggies and fruit, or delicious baked goods, but I'm also a sucker for things like the perogies at the Polish stand, or the fresh cut tulips that I can buy for super cheap.

A couple of Saturdays ago, I ventured down to the St. Lawrence Market with my good friend Paul, who had never been there before. I decided to take some snaps of the market to commemorate our visit, as well as show off some of my favourite places to visit!

Our first stop was the North building, which houses more of the vegetables and fruit and out of town delicacies, where I could pick up some lovely peppers, carrots and onions for a soup I was planning on trying to make later that day. As you can see, there were lots to choose from, and they only cost a couple of dollars for a whole bunch! Much better prices than the supermarkets!

Then it was off to Moyer's Candy Apples stand, where they sell the most delicious Caramel Chocolate apples. As I was heading to Newfoundland for a visit a few days later, I knew I had to pick up some of these apples to bring home to treat my family and friends...they're too delicious to keep to myself!

We then went across the street to the main building, where meats, cheeses, fish and pasta and more permanent stalls are housed. I knew another thing I would have to pick up was some fresh pasta and pasta sauce from St. Lawrence Pizza and Ice Cream. If you ever get to go to the Market, you MUST stop by this place on the upper level. The pasta is out of this world and the sauce....absolutely amazing. I've never tasted anything like it!

Downstairs is another one of my favourite spots, European Delight, where they serve fresh homemade Polish food like chicken and veal schnitzel, sausage rolls, and my favourite - perogies. Their potato/cheddar/bacon perogies, fried up with some bacon and onions....a favourite Saturday lunchtime meal!

After a successful day of shopping, and too many groceries for my poor little arms to walk home with, I decided it was time to call it a day. I had

perogies to eat and soup to attempt to make! Paul and I walked home content with our great day at the St. Lawrence Market!

If you're in Toronto and you've never been, I highly recommend you check it out! Who knows? Maybe you'll bump into me there one Saturday morning. :)

Oh, and that soup I wanted to make? I think it was successful. Take a look!

A Dining Experience Like No Other!

One thing I really love about living in Toronto is that there are certain opportunities here that just don't exist in Newfoundland. Whether it's something like a concert, a sporting event, or even a book signing, Newfoundland doesn't see a lot of famous faces or play host to many cutting edge events. At least not as many as a place like Toronto does. So while in "The Big Smoke", I'm determined to see and do as many unique things as possible. One of those things happened on Friday night.

On February 18th, I had the pleasure of attending Indigo's first TweetUp. Having been asked a few weeks ago by the lovely gentleman who runs the Indigo Events Twitter account if I'd be interested in participating, I happily agreed and met the rest of the group at a Chapters downtown, where our evening began.

Leaving the bookstore, we dined at Luma, feasting on dishes from the new 3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men cookbook, which were prepared by the amazing Chef Bangerter. The five course meal was unique, delicious, and exquisitely presented.

The 11 of us discussed how Indigo is doing in terms of its engagement with consumers and suggested ways they could continue to grow their followers.

A surprise visit from the 3 Chefs themselves made the evening extra special, along with a giftcard and the brand new cookbook to add to my growing collection!

It was a fantastic evening, and I'm so grateful to the Indigo Events team for inviting me to be a part of the night!