Here, There and Home.

What i have been up to this spring...

My sweet niece and her mama came to visit me and take in a show at the playhouse. She's going through a stage where getting a smiling photo out of her is painful, so I had to bribe her for this one. 

Discovering new walking paths with Sage.

Dinner dates with my beautiful friend Kate.

Said goodbye to the pup for a few days so we could take a mini-vacation.

Went to the zoo and became a crazy goat lady. How cute are those little goat bums?!

Goats cheating the system and stealing treats. 

xo

keep calm

I will start and finish by saying that I had my wisdom teeth out on may second and have just recently come out of hibernation. it is a dreary world when you look like a chipmunk, but i am officially de-puffed and ready to wear things off of the pajama spectrum. 

Gardening- 28/4

FINALLY, Spring is here and she came just in time. I've been barking to anyone that would listen about how excited I was to start gardening this year, and I'm finally in a space that I love enough to do so. Amanda has been very patient and supportive through my groggy winter blues, and not only did she accompany me to the flower nursery, but also helped me pick out my plants and then surprise paid for them. (How sweet!!)

I spent the entire warm Sunday afternoon sitting on the grass re-potting plants and bragging to no one in particular about how lovely they all were. Since that perfect Sunday we've already had two patio picnics and spent both evenings enjoying the warmth. Needless to say, I am very proud of our new and cozy back yard- fully equipped with birds, squirrels, ducks, our neighbors adorable baby, and a dog who loves to lounge in the shade. 

Almost Country Pumpkin

I will admit that I was a tad over-eager to start wearing skirts and dresses again, so as soon as I saw that the sun was shining I immediately dressed for spring. Although a huge improvement over the random April snowstorms we were having, it's still a little chilly and my legs may have been quite cold. Goosebumps are sexy, right?

We went to visit the Country Pumpkin this afternoon, as I've been waiting for it to open for some time now. I was a little disappointed to discover that only the bakery was open, and the fruits and veggies haven't been brought out yet. Unfortunate, because I'm a sucker for fresh produce. I would have bought their entire stock- that's how excited I was. 

Kitchen Poems

" come and be human with me

eat nothing that means us both leaving the house

sit on the floor in strange places

and sleep in familiar beds. "

                                                --keaton henson

Lately

I must admit I've had a difficult time blogging the past couple weeks. I've been feeling particularly uninspired and have no trouble casting blame on the awful weather we've been having (for those non-Canadian's, it snowed yesterday!) I have been itching to start gardening and bring out the patio furniture, and every trip to the store ends with me lugging home some random item in preparation for springtime. Last week I purchased some gardening gloves, today paper plates and floral napkins...I'm telling you, if it doesn't start feeling like spring here soon, I will be planing flowers and hosting BBQ parties in the snow. 

I did snap a few cute photos of my niece while I was visiting home over the Easter break, and took Sage on a rainy day dog walk this morning! 

Kids

I am currently into the second week of my work place practicum at an early childhood education center, and respectively, everything is a learning experience. 

6 things i have learned:

• trying to adopt a cute child who already has a loving family is called kidnapping, and is frowned upon no matter how pure your intentions.
• ladybugs are NOT for pancakes.
• children will spend 30 minutes telling you that they don't want to clean up rather than taking 30 seconds to actually do it.
• four year old's do not care if you are in a room unless they want something from you, and then they are only pretending to care.
• Snowsuits get ruined forever when you swim in a mud puddle.
• Children like to bang on the bathroom door while you're using it, "just to say hey."

Summer Salad

I was given this DE-licious salad recipe while I was living in Montreal, and it became a fast favorite. I recently made it for a game night with friends, and I have a feeling it's going to be popping up a lot this summer. 

yummy ingredients;

-diced cherry tomatoes 

-chick peas 

-cubed mozza cheese 

-corn niblets

-chopped basil / salt / pepper

-tomato and basil vinaigrette (you can use any kind of vinaigrette, or virgin olive oils) 

March Break

I just returned from a beautiful and relaxing Florida vacation, 

and was absolutely not ready for it to be over. This was my fourth trip to Florida and it somehow gets better every time! If you know me then you're very aware that I'm an unbelievably old soul, and my ninety-five year old heart fits perfectly with Florida's retired stereotype. 

trip highlights:

porch drinks

bike rides

manatees and pelicans 

ocean views

sunsets on the dock

family time

golf & reading

friendly people

xo

Restless Winter

Another weekend spent trying to fight off the antsy and restless symptoms of winter. 

Lately I've done more than avoid being outside in the cold. I am beyond ready for a pair of flats and have definitely grown tired of my winter jackets. I did manage to push myself out of the house this weekend for dinner and drinks and a catch-up with my best friend, and a little Sunday brunch and photo opt. 

Luckily for me, Amanda and I are headed to Fort Meyers FL this Friday for a much anticipated week of sunshine. (I may be driving her crazy with all my talk of tandem bike rides, sun hats, dresses and reading by the pool.)