Hey, it's the Weekend!

Yesterday was the first day of autumn, but it was still feeling a lot like summer.  The weather has been fabulous.

The past couple of weeks have seen us eating out more than usual.  I've been feeling sort of lazy and uninspired in the kitchen.

We did a little front door refresh.  Our son did most of the work, and I'm amazed that we raised a child that knows his way around a toolbox.  New paint, lighting, and window inserts....and it feels like an entirely new entry way!

Chrysanthemums are blooming.

And my passport is going to be put to use tomorrow... my girl and I are off to the land of shamrocks and leprechauns :)

Follow me on Instagram to see what we get up to.

Happy Weekend!

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September

Well, this is awkward.

It's September.

My last post was in March, and I've got some catching up to do.

We went to Mexico.  It was awesome.

I hit the big five-oh.

There were growing up milestones.

Our youngest graduated elementary school.

Our oldest bought a house.

Another one of our boys bought himself a new truck.

It's been a gloriously hot and sunny summer.

 We did Niagara Falls.

Boldt Castle and a Thousand Islands Boat Cruise.

Toronto Zoo.

Camping at Killbear Provincial Park.

And a WEDDING.

Our oldest son is now married, and it was a beautiful, wonderful, magical day.

Then another one of our boys went away to school.  That was hard.


And on the first day of school I realised that my youngest child is in high school.


I have been proud and happy and wistful and sad and nervous, sometimes all at once.


And now that everyone is settled, and the house is a little quieter, I'm feeling strangely adrift.


Time to get back on course!

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Happy Easter

Easter isn't happening around here this year, unless you count the two bags of Cadbury mini eggs that we've gone through this past week.  We're probably going to order pizza for dinner.

We're organising, list making, and packing.  Because tomorrow morning we'll be on the road while it's still dark out, heading to the airport.

To spend a week in Mexico.

So, luggage, bathing suits, sunscreen, and flip flops have become the focus of the weekend.

This past week we had another ice storm.  It was a lot worse than the one we had a few weeks ago.  We lost power a few times, thankfully less than an hour each time, and the ice build up the next morning was almost an inch thick.

Cadbury mini egg blondies.

Waffles, because apparently that's what one needs to feel better when sick.

 Shopping for summery things while the ice and snow made a mess outside.

My camera and flip flops are ready.  Follow me on Instagram to see what we get up to.

Posts from Easters past here.

Wishing you a happy Easter!

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Hey, it's the Weekend!

The sun is shining, the temperatures are slowly creeping up past zero, and almost all of the snow has melted.  

There's a subtle shift, as spring arrives.

Tulips spotted in stores.

The end of hockey season.

Longer days.

Omelettes, sushi nights, and green cupcakes.

With the nicer weather coming, here's some motivation to get out and walk.

And with Easter just around the corner, how about some centrepiece and tablescape inspiration.

You could make some spotted Easter eggs, and some mini egg fudge.

Or maybe a batch of bunny cookie bark.

And your Easter breakfast needs these caramel egg stuffed croissants.

Happy weekend!

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Hey, it's the Weekend!

Last week's cold temperatures gave way to rain and above zero days this week.  I'm hoping not to see this again anytime soon.

It was encouraging to see the sun setting later - a sure sign that spring is just around the corner.

A shiny new kettle to perk up my stovetop.

The dog, making himself comfortable in the clean towels I dumped on the sofa for folding.  Did he think I wouldn't see him in his camouflage jacket?

Spinach salad.

Making a mess of the kitchen.

Helping a friend turn 50.  It was hard work :)

Cadbury's Mini Eggs are in the stores.  How about some Mini Egg Fudge?

This food tour of Toronto's Little Italy looks like something I want to do!

These Raw Hemp Chocolates look incredible.  Healthy candy!

How amazing is this Instagram Gallery Wall?

Maple Vanilla Nut Latte Protein Bites - yes please!

And this has to be the coolest thing I've seen all week.


One last thing.  Do you use Steller?  I tried it.  I think I liked it.

Thoughts?

Leave me your user name in the comments so I can follow you :)

Happy Weekend!

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Friday, it's Friday!

Oh... hey February!

Wasn't it just January, like yesterday?

It was -43°C this morning.

The sun is setting later.
Snow squalls have rolled through a few times this week.
Cafe Mocha is a beautiful thing, so are Rocky Road Brownies.
Hockey playoffs mean the season is winding up.
Sweet potato fries rock.
Buttermilk pancakes with buttermilk caramel syrup...dessert for dinner.
Teenage boys that aren't too old to hit the bookstore for a Lord of the Rings colouring book.
Post-hockey pizza.
Star Wars Lego figures.  The youngest boy is collecting an army of them.

Other random bits...

Potato Chip Cookies.  We all need these in our lives.

Did you have pancakes on Pancake Tuesday?

I'm loving these walk-in shower ideas.

I tried making sushi at home once.  It was a nightmare.  But these I think I can manage!

And is brown rice really better than white rice?

I want to visit Winnipeg.  But not in the winter.  They don't call it Winterpeg for nothing.

This Almond Cherry Loaf is perfect for Valentine's Day.

And there's a bunch of Valentine's Day inspiration right here.

Happy Friday, happy weekend!

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Friday, it's Friday!

How is it posssible that we're almost through the entire month of January?  

And how is it that the relentless march of time still suprises me?

Despite a bit of rain during the week, it's still pretty snowy around here.  I love when the snow sits fat and heavy on tree branches.  I love seeing kids that are never to old to be IN the snow.  I love the pattern of last summer's corn stalks in the snow.

Fresh colouring pencils and a fresh colouring page.

Laughing at the car sensors going berserk in the car wash.  It was like they were screaming WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO DRIVE??!.

Smoothie love.  Banana chocolate peanut butter is all kinds of amazing.

Puzzles.  Disney princess puzzles to be exact.

Kids cleaning out their rooms, and deciding they really don't need all of their trophies anymore.  Looking at the box full of discarded awards almost made me cry.  So many years of hard work and commitment.  So much pride in their accomplishments.  So much driving - soccer fields, ice rinks, baseball diamonds, football fields - so many different cities.  So much money spent.  I found an old bookshelf and squeezed in as many as I could.  It's in the hallway outside of their rooms, and I'm just waiting for (daring?) someone to say something.

Costco.  The dilemma of finding room in the cupboards for all of the oversize boxes, and evidence that a certain 13 yr old was shopping with us.  Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Ritz Cheese Snacks, and Instant Hot Chocolate.  Is any of that even real food?

And speaking of food... hello Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Thighs.

Did you know that you can make your own Mayonnaise?  As well as your own Sweetened Condensed Milk?

My favourite dessert, in cake form!

Farmhouse Rice Pudding, Banana and Chocolate Chia Cream Pie Parfaits, and Salted Caramel Sticky Buns.  There are not enough hours in a day for the number of desserts I dream about making.

Happy Friday, Happy Weekend!

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Hey, It's The Weekend!

The sun is shining!  We haven't seen blue skies for weeks it seems - it's nice to have a break from back-to-back snowfalls.  It makes me want to go outside!

For exactly one and half minutes.

Because it might be sunny, but damn it's cold.

The dogs have been loving the snow.  When they're not running around in it, they're at the back door staring at it.

This week there has been snow shovelling, coffee dates, slow cooker failures, muffin successes, and super smoothies.

And mail that makes my stomach do flip flops at the thought that one of my kids may be going away to school in the fall.

I bought a bag of red lentils, and I have no idea what to do with them.  I thought I might try this and this.

These Sweet Potato Tacos look really good.  So does this Power Veggie Sandwich.

We've been trying to eat less meat.  It's hard.  The kids like their meat, and don't always love their veggies.  But I think it's important that we try.

And contrary to some entertaining memes that have been making the rounds on the internet, milk is perfectly safe and wholesome.  Phew.  We use a lot of milk.

Remember how I was using up leftover egg nog from Christmas?  Here's another good recipe to try, it'll clear the egg nog and the cranberries out of your fridge!

These Toasted Sesame & Cranberry Black Rice Bars look amazing.

These bean dips look easy, tasty, and healthy.

And this brought tears to my eyes.  A gentle reminder to remember how great our kids really are.

Happy Weekend!

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Friday, it's Friday!

This was the week that winter finally appeared.

Two snow days, pancakes, homemade protein bars, and a few oh-so satisfying nutrition bowls that make me wonder why I don't make them more often.

And while the kids were shoveling, I was pinning recipes for cold weather comfort food, like Beef Barley Soup and Maple Roasted Blueberry Almond Oatmeal.

There was Homemade Hot Chocolate and another batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies.

These No Sew Fleece Blankets would be perfect right now, and so easy!

People Are Tweeting Their Most Awkward Moments And It Is Cringingly Hilarious

23 Things You’ll Understand If You’re Obsessed With Chapters/Indigo (think Barnes and Noble if you're stateside)

Crashing Waves on Lake Erie Look Like Liquid Mountains

I made a cake on the weekend, which was a ridiculous amount of work.  I like the look of this one much better.  Throw-It-Together Texas Sheet Cake - I'll be trying it this weekend!

And now that most of the Christmas decorations have come down (OK, except for one tree...and the outdoor lights, but they're buried so they don't count), the house feels bare.  Hello Winter Decor Ideas!

Happy Friday, Happy Weekend!

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Hey, It's... Wednesday!

I changed the title of this post three times. Originally it read "Hey, It's The Weekend!" Then "The Weekend" became "Monday". And here we are... Wednesday. I just haven't been able to spend any quality time with my computer lately.

Hooray for houses that still have their Christmas lights on!

There's been a lot of cooking and baking.  I'm in love with my new mixer. 

Hockey. And one game where our team ended up requesting four referees, because our history with the opposing team guaranteed that things would otherwise get out of hand, fast.

A breakfast date with a friend, where I had to order the menu item that used the word 'smothered' in the description. Eggs Benedict and I go way back.

Getting back into school routines after a two week break.

A new puppy, that needs constant supervision.

A new planner, and some new reading from the library.  Because it took me exactly one day to spend all of the Chapters gift cards that I got for Christmas.

And lookie what we woke up to this morning.  I think it's safe to say that winter is finally here.

Happy Wednesday!

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Friday, it's Friday!

Credit to my son for the photo.  Credit to Emily Dickinson for the words.  I just smooshed them together.

The fall colours are actually coming to an end around here.  All it takes is a few windy days and the branches are suddenly bare.

Other random bits.

Nutrition bowls from Freshii.  Love these.
Our newest dog, in a coat.
New reading.
Lusting after the all the mugs.
More autumn scenery.
Crispy garlic kale.
Most excellent roofing truck signage.
Hot, fresh, biscuits
Coffee outside, enjoying lingering warm fall days.

Speaking of all those leaves on the ground, here's three good reasons why you shouldn't rake your leaves.

I want to have a Harry Potter party just like this one.  Every little detail.  Wow.

S'mores Mini Dippers just became a possibility around here, thanks to hubby bringing me wee marshmallow bits from the US this week.

Did you know that the thread count of your sheets doesn't matter as much as these three other things?

Make your own Pumpkin Spice Latte -with real pumpkin, molasses, and whipped cream.  Heaven.

And whoever thought of making Stuffing in a Bundt Pan is a genius.

We observed Remembrance Day this week, so we're all clear to start Christmas decorating this weekend.

Happy Friday, happy weekend!

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Friday, it's Friday!

In keeping with my focus on gratitude for the rest of the year...

I'm grateful for lakes on beautiful fall days.

New books.

Growing kids, even if it means more new clothes.

Time in my kitchen to try new recipes.

Apples, fresh and crisp, right off the tree.

Puppies.

Hockey.

Time for coffee with friends.

I'm also thankful for my hard working husband, who's turning 50 today :)

We went apple picking last weekend, and we've already eaten our way through almost one bag of apples.  There's nothing like a freshly picked apple, and I've got a few ideas on how to put them to good use.

I made this Buffalo Chicken Dip again, I think we're addicted.

I think my cabbage roll loving hubby might like this dish.

I love hard boiled eggs, I hate peeling them.  Easy to Peel Eggs - thank you.

I love these DIY Fabric and Burlap Pumpkins!

THIS twisty pumpkin pastry, awesome!

Our daughter wants to go to Ireland.  I think I need to go with her.

How cool is this Black and White Halloween Topiary?  And how is it that Halloween is only three weeks away??

This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada.  I haven't planned or prepared a thing, so tomorrow will be a busy day for me.  See my old Thanksgiving posts here.

And I've created a Facebook page for this blog.  I tried resisting the commitment to more social media, but what can I say, I gave in to peer pressure.  

*Sigh*  

Likes appreciated.

Happy Friday, Happy Weekend, Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Friday, it's Friday!

Gratitude.  The simple act of being thankful can change ones entire outlook.  I came across a blog post this week that asked the question "can you be happy for the last 100 days of the year?"  

Good question.

Being thankful, a week before we celebrate Thanksgiving is something worth doing.  Being thankful for a hundred days will be a worthwhile challenge.

I'm thankful for sister-in-laws, who texted me photos of two recipes made from my blog this week.  Sticky Toffee Pudding and Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits.  How awesome is that?

Hockey.  I love watching our boy play.

Weekends.  Until recently, I worked most weekends.  Simple things, like a trip to a flea market weren't things I could typically do.

Fall planters.  To replace the dismal looking summer planters that never seemed to get enough water.

Saturday morning trips to Costco.  Again, weekends :)

Our eldest son's recent engagement.  We are over the moon for them both!

Driving at dusk.  We've had some gorgeous sunsets lately.

And I'm thankful for the internet.

It makes me want to collect acorns, so I can paint them.

It shows me how to make this cute Polaroid frame.

It inspires me to paint our front door.

It validates my love for potatoes.

And shows me some of the best pumpkin recipes, like this, this, this, this, and this.

Happy Friday, happy weekend!

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Goodbye August

Tomorrow is September.  One more week until back to school.  I can look back on the past two months and say that we enjoyed our summer, and for that I'm grateful, but I'm not ready for it to be over.  I've always secretly dreaded back to school while everyone else seemed to be jumping for joy.  Partly because I'm SO not a morning person, partly because I hate homework and schedules and assignment deadlines, and partly because packing lunches while it's still dark out sucks.

We ended our summer with a one week cottage rental up north.  The weather wasn't great, we had rain five out of the seven days, but it was a good week of relaxing, kayaking, board games, puzzles, fishing, fire building, movie watching, and reading.

Yesterday was laundry, all day.  Today was back to work.  One more long weekend to look forward to before we put summer away.

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Week In The Life | It's Friday!

I'm working hard to clear my desk.  I'm off next week.  I can't remember when I last had an entire week off work.  Tomorrow will be all about shopping and packing for a week up north, enjoying the solitude of a cottage on a lake, surrounded by a lot of nature.

As I knew would happen, my commitment to a Week In The Life has fizzled.  I haven't given up, and I expect the weekend will provide new motivation, but my real camera hasn't been picked up since Monday, and there's only so many phone pictures I can take of my desk and my kitchen.  Life is dull when I'm at work.  Period.

Monday and Tuesday here.

Wednesday and Thursday more or less:

Fast food at my desk.

Smoothies to compensate.

Garbage day.  Yes neighbours, I take photos of my garbage.  I'm cool like that.

School uniform shopping.

New puppy.

Late night reading and cereal.  Cereal with marshmallows to be exact.

Pizza.

Laundry.

Super salad.  To make up for the marshmallows.

Of course, there was time for the wonders of the internet:

This letter, the one I wish I'd written my kids this summer.

Beautiful Quebec City.  I'd like to plan a weekend there this fall.

This Tofino Gooey Butter Cake.  Like the St. Louis version, but not.

This Bourbon Walnut Pound Cake.  Holy moly.

And these Cinnamon Glazed Zucchini Bars.  You know how I love to sneak healthy things into baked goods :)

Happy Friday, happy weekend!

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Week In The Life | Monday & Tuesday

I'm working on documenting this week for Week In The Life, and it's an intimidating project for me.  Trying to find interest in the day to day, often mundane, happenings in our lives is no easy task.  I tried it last fall, and I found that some days were easier than others.  In the end I was pleased with the result, and it was an important reminder that our lives are a combination of memorable events and forgettable daily routines.  All of it is worth remembering.

This week started with the last day of our weekend in Boston.  It was an amazing weekend and I would love to have had more time there.  I will share more from our weekend road trip later.  

Monday morning we set out to find a beach.  We planned to be on the road and on our way home after lunch, so we were up and checked out of our hotel by 7am.  The front desk staff suggested Good Harbor Beach and we were the first to arrive at the beach parking lot.

The tide was out.

It was a gorgeous beach, and the water was beautiful.  A few salty mouthfuls reminded the kids that this wasn't the fresh water they were used to swimming in.

We ventured into Rockport for lunch.

My second lobster roll of the trip.  I think I could eat these every day.

We found some candy for the road.

And piled into the truck for the long ride home.

We got home late, half unloaded the car, and fell into our beds with the ocean sand still on us.

On Tuesday the big camera took a break, and I barely remembered to stop once in a while and snap with my phone.  

I captured this gem.  The obscene post-road trip laundry pile.

And the mess in the truck.

Going back to work was hard.

Groceries looked like this, after eating out so much.

And dinner looked like this.

Beating the heat and catching up with a friend after dinner. 

Ending up trapped in a gazebo while a thunderstorm passed through.

Linking up with Ali Edwards here.

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