beach baby

right now...

right now, I am...

• feeling on the mend! i am a flu butt-kicking machine! sorta...
• sipping a giant mug of peppermint tea
• listening to silence- after a long day with many tears, i am basking in the complete stillness of this moment
• excited for cupcakes tomorrow! celebrating lauren's 32nd year of life! xo
• noticing how dusty the living room always seems to end up. but i don't seem to mind one bit
• watching chapeau have puppy dreams - half barking in his sleep! adorable!
• rejoicing that my sweet finn is finally snoozing. hopefully for a while longer this time
• giggling over my halfhearted and very poor attempt at making a blanket fort for finn and i this afternoon
• wearing layers and layers to keep warm on this chilly evening
• wondering if i will make it to the west african dance class i signed up for tomorrow night
• looking forward to holidays next week! so many things we want to do
• loving the Maggie Taylor image below - it reminds me a bit of a picture Jeff and i took at my sisters wedding a few years ago
• planning my etsy shop- just need to decide on a name once and for all
• hoping the weather man is wrong and it will be warmer than 9 degrees tomorrow
• wishing you all the sweetest of sweet dreams

(inspired by Soulemama & Sappy Apple)

sick sick yick!

The flu has ravaged our house! BOO! it started with jeff on friday, then quickly moved on to me- i spent the weekend (and some of the nicest summer days we have had yet) very under the weather. and now it seems to have passed itself along to my sweet little finn - combined with his crazy molar teething, he is one unhappy little dumpling. i am on the mend, but took the day off work today to be here to comfort (and nurse) my poor little guy as much as possible- keep him a little bit content and as hydrated as i can. it is also a very cool and rainy day here today and we have a ton of broccoli in the fridge the needs to get used up, so what a perfect day for some delicious comfort food. broccoli cheese soup will do the trick just perfectly (as well as acting as the first nutritious thing i have stomached since the flu came to visit. though i will admit, i have been loving my diet of sour patch kids- the only thing i seem to be able to handle!)

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
1.5 cups vegetable stock
3 cups chopped broccoli, cooked until tender and mashed to desired chunkiness
1.5 cups milk
1.5 – 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
A splash of tabasco sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Top with a sprinkling chopped fresh dill, parsley or chives- whatever you have handy and additional grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Saute onions until tender. Stir in flour and cook 3 minutes. Whisk in stock and mashed broccoli. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Add pepper, salt, milk, cheese and Tabasco sauce. Heat thoroughly until nice and bubbly.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve sprinkled with cheddar cheese and fresh herb of your choice.
Serve with some lovely fresh bread, and enjoy on the perfect chilly (or sick) day!

and some pictures from happier days...

dog days of summer

we took a little walk up to the tennis courts the other night- it was one of those beautiful nights that is still so hot out with just a touch a breeze to keep it from being over baring. We all took turns skating around, sharing some good giggles, and meeting a few neighbourhood dogs- chapeau had an extra fun time with that part!

little boy

finn and i spent the day in the sunshine splashing it up today (more on this later) but that coupled with some quick photobooth pictures i snapped of him after his nap has really made me see just how huge (and handsome) and independent he is becoming. especially in contrast to some of the other photos found in my photobooth album. ugh. my sweet sweet little man.

August 2010

August 2010

August 2011

August 2011

It's been a long time!

Sorry for the long length between posts- we have been without internet for FIVE entire days! though it has felt so much longer than that! We are finally back up and running, and I have a computer full of pictures and fun things to share... here are just a few to catch everyone up on what we have been up to- More to come as the weekend progresses!

My friend Lauren and her family have chickens in their back yard- they were out of a town, so we stopped by to help put the chickens to bed. Finn LOVED the fresh eggs he got to take home and have for breakfast the next morning!

PussPuss the chicken

Finn and Brixton -  sharing the inflatable raft at the pool.

Playing at shaky bridge park -  Finns fav.

Finn in a box- he was actually SO excited to be playing in this- just not that excited to be getting his picture taken. :)

Modern Jelly Doughnuts

We stopped by a new(ish) doughnut shop that opened downtown today- its called modern jelly doughnuts, and it definitely lives up to its name! We played it kind of safe -  Jeff ordered an apple fritter and I opted for the banana split, but I am anxious to head back and try such creations as maple bacon, peanut butter and jelly, s'mores, whoopie pie, and (my usual favourite) lemon custard- All of which sound amazing, and looked even better!

Waiting for a doughnut 

yum! 

Post dougnhut park play.

day 27, 28, 29 and... 30! Yippy!

More busy weeks, though summer seems to always be that way- I love that everyone has so much crammed into the limited number of hot sunny days and warm bright nights. That everywhere you go, people are enjoying themselves too- doing exactly what everyone else is doing- summer frolicking! So great!

Sorry these last few pictures are very late! A few things I learned from this project- I cant seem to take pictures of anything but Finn and I'm not really the most disciplined person out there. In fact, I'm forgetful and a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to things being demanded of me. I'm not sure if its just that since having Finn, my priorities tend to lie in spending any and all free time with him- anything outside of that doesn't really matter as much, or because I am working full-time, parenting anytime I'm not working, all the while trying to maintain relationships with my sweet Jeff and family and friends... at the end of the day, i don't really care to add anything more (that sounded a little complain-y- its really not at all. i wouldn't change a thing- i suppose I'm just trying to justify my half-hearted effort on this challenge. :) ) So to summarize this experience, i wont be committing to any more 30 day challenges for a while- At least not until summer is over and crammed days and weeks turn into the quiet cozy lull of winter.

Day 27- little toothbrusher

Day 28 - Picnic Beach hangouts

Day 29- hanging out in the trees

Day 30 - Skater Boys