Last Day of Aberfoyle

Last Sunday was the last day of Aberfoyle for another year. I love going on closing day because despite the cold, you can actually get some really good deals as it is the Sellers last chance to make a sale (the cold probably helps).

This was the first thing I noticed when I walked up to the market from the parking lot. I have dreams of owning a truck just like this...or a little older...you know for when I own a business in a quaint little town (think Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride).



The next bright light in my Aberfoyle trip was meeting up with this cute chick. It's been a while since we've seen each other, and I always love the time we spend together. For the record, this isn't her bike...but she really wanted it to be...you know for cruising around town!

As always, there were many things I loved that I didn't take home with me. Here are a few of my favourite things that didn't make the cut:

Top Left: Sweet grey chair; Right: Nice car blanket, perfect for Christmas styling. Bottom Left: Wooden crate that I was considering as a side table; Right: Sweet candy can from Halifax

I thought long and hard about this guy. I was thinking he might be perfect in a small corner I have in my kitchen, but alas I wasn't sure he would fit and wasn't totally sold on the price.

Last but definitely not least, I saw this guy as we were heading out, and he looked like someone had left him behind...many moons ago. There's something very sweet about this little guy, and I am sure he was loved by a few children before he made his way to this can!

In the end I picked up some hooks for my front entryway and bathroom as well as a little side-table that needs a bit of a makeover for the low price of $20! I will share the table in a future post:)

Happy Wednesday everyone- i'll be back on Friday with a Halloween themed post.

Orange Tabby Love

I haven't blogged about my two furry loves in a while, so I thought it was due time.

Yesterday morning I came down the stairs to see this in our living room. She must have decided she was part of the fall decor (at least she's the right colour).

Boy-Cat has been awfully snugly lately and loves to be brushed in front of the fireplace. Here is a shot of him all curled up from last week. I have so much love for this ball of fur. 

Hope you all had a good weekend. I made it to the last day of a Aberfoyle with  one of my best friends. I will share some pictures of our trip and my finds later this week. I also heard from my wedding photographer that our pictures are coming soon- can't wait to share them here on the blog.

Jack and the Brussel Stalk

Did you know Brussel sprouts grow on stalks? I'm not sure how I thought they grew before I received this in my farm basket, but it definitely wasn't this. Between this, the romanesco and the celery root, you would think my farm basket came from another planet.

To store brussel sprouts you simply pluck them off their stalk and place them in between paper towel in a plastic bag to be kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to use. I'm planning to roast these with a little salt and pepper, but here is an interesting recipe I saw on A Beautiful Mess recently.

Daddy DIY

My dad came to visit in July with a trunk full of tools and began tackling my to-do list like a champ. In the end, he put new sills on my east and north facing windows, installed an evesdrough on our porch, hung planks for my front entryway hooks (to be shared in a future post), built us a picnic table, made a track for my sliding doors among a few other things.

His biggest project though was repairing my very uneven unsafe basement stairs that I use on a daily basis. He thought he might be able to rebuild them altogether, but because the wood needed for the sides would be too long to get in through the house, he ended up working with the existing frame and evened out all of the steps. Here is the glamorous after shot:

I know it doesn't look like much but every time I walk up or down the stairs without tripping, I think of Dad and love him even more!

While he was down there, he also hung my peg board. I still have to get these organized (i.e. the pegs are still hanging on the right hand side waiting to be hung up), but it's a good start.

Sometimes it feels like we're moving really slow (I mean this work was done in July and I'm just posting now and still haven't got my peg board done or hooks for my entryway planks), but then I think about everything we've done and the fact thatcher had the busiest summer of our lives and I give myself a pass. It's not a race, this is a house we're making our home and that takes time. Chris reminds me often to stop and take the time to enjoy it, even if it's not "perfect" yet.

Happy Monday everyone!

Bedroom Makeover: Paint Job

A few weekends back when Chris was out of town, I decided to paint our bedroom. The funny thing was, I thought I had tricked my husband into picking a paint colour that I had shortlisted, and he thought he had tricked his wife into painting our bedroom Maple Leaf's blue.

I'm a pretty low maintenance painter, I just use a piece of cardboard to keep my paint can and tray off the floor. I use a short-handled angled brush to cut in and a roller to do the big spaces. The colour I chose is called Lakefront. It is a CIL colour that I had mixed into the Benjamin Moore Origins paint. Originally I liked Benjamin Moore's Yarmouth Blue, but was looking for something a bit darker. This was my first time using paint with built in primer, and although the lady at the store said it would only take one coat, it definitely took two. You might be able to get away with one coat if it's a light one, but i'm guessing two is always better.

Here is the before (top) and after (bottom). I am still planning to paint the top of the left hand wall the same white as a ceiling to brighten up the space, but I am loving the new and improved bedroom colour. Apparently blue is calming, which is exactly what i'm looking for in a bedroom!

The before and after of the closet area- the colour looks very grey in this picture/lighting. I cannot wait to replace these broken beige shades with white faux wood blinds.

While I was cutting in, I had a special helper that wanted his belly scratched...the best part was when he stretched out and coated the bottom of his paws in fresh paint!

Happy Friday everyone! We have a busy weekend ahead of visiting family and friends with new babies! I am also planning on packing up my summer clothes and familiarizing myself with my winter wardrobe for another season! 

Scenes From the Weekend

We had a gorgeous holiday weekend, here's a little bit of what I saw

I went for a walk on Saturday morning and captured some of the colours and fruits of the season.

I finally took some photos of my fall decorations, I made a friend with a neighbourhood barn cat, and our sweet family made a special Thanksgiving wedding cake, so we could celebrate with all of the family members that couldn't make it to New Brunswick for the wedding.

It was also a baking weekend. I roasted my own pumpkin for the pumpkin spice cupcakes, and the carrot cake recipe from a family friend was a big hit with our first Thanksgiving crowd.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

#fallingforfall

Have you seen this hashtag trending in your instagram and facebook feed? Personally, i'm a big fan of fall, so i'm in for falling for fall. I was inspired by this perfect red maple leaf when I was volunteering last weekend at the Run For The Cure. I carried it around, searching for the perfect place to take its picture...a few people even commented on the fact that I was carrying this little guy around. Despite my lack of photographing talent and my constant use of my iphone camera over our beautiful Nikon we received as a wedding present, I pretend to be an artistic photographer every now and then and it brings me great joy.

We have a busy holiday weekend ahead including two Thanksgiving dinners! I am on dessert duty for both and will be making carrot cake, a lemon dessert and these pumpkin spice cupcakes (recipe here). I have decorated the house with a few of my fall decorations. With my buffet and two additional fireplace mantels that I didn't have in our last place, the decor is looking a little sparse, but definitely festive. I also picked up two pumpkins last weekend, so my porch is looking season ready!

Wishing you all a great Thanksgiving, hoping you get to enjoy all the tastes and sights of the fall!

Harvest Share Update

The Harvest Share program is only 4 weeks away from being done, and I have to admit the end of the summer/early fall brings the best bounty. Here is a look at the last four weeks...loving my pie pumpkin from last week!

And the winner of the weirdest item is................... A Romanesco cauliflower/broccoli! I received this item in week 15, and immediately took its picture.

I sautéed it with a little oil garlic and chili flakes tonight, and I found that it really does taste like a cauliflower with a tightly wound broccoli texture...perfect for this tightly wound chick! Not only is this vegetable beautiful, it is pretty fun to eat as well!

Here's how it looked after I cut up half!

Have you tried any new fruits or veggies this season?

Love in the Mail

We got some major love in the mail last week. My good friend Jessica crocheted us a beautiful afghan as a wedding present. At my husband's request, she made it in Toronto Maple Leafs colours and big enough to cover his entire body. At my request, she made it wide enough to share and cuddle.  I am blown away by her talent, and determination to take on such a big project. I had a nap just yesterday under this sweet gift, and it is absolutely wonderful.

What was the icing on the cake of this sweet gift was the very thoughtful message she wrote in her card. Here is just an excerpt that makes me smile:

"...This should not be the kind of blanket you put on display, but rather one that gets used on the daily. It should be the blanket that gets pulled over your head during a scary movie. It should be the blanket that goes on road trips, to the soccer field, to the hockey rink, to the cottage on those chilly nights. It should get covered in cat hair, tear stains, coffee stains. It should be washed often, need to be mended, be patched up, be tossed around. Basically- it should be loved! It should be that hg that you need, the comfort that family and friends give from a distance. Let it remind you of the warmth and love love that surrounded you on your wedding day..."

As you can see, our family has already started to put those directions to good use. I love that we will always have a reminder of our wedding day and my sweet friend Jessica when we snuggle up with this blanket.

Goodwill Hunting for Treasures

It's been a crazy week as exemplified by my lack of posting. I still want to get up a number of wedding posts, but I am waiting to receive my photos from my photographers. Yesterday before meeting my friends for dinner, I stopped into a Goodwill store for a quick peak at their Housewares and Furniture Section. Here are three of my favourite things that I didn't take home:


Top Left: Wooden Birdcage ($10), Top Right: Wooden Baby Sled ($15) Bottom: Wooden Bench with Storage ($15)
The pillows definitely would have been left behind or recovered!

 
We have a relaxing Saturday and busy Sunday ahead of us. We're going to Soupfest if the weather holds out, and I am looking forward to making some goodies with all the great veggies that showed up in this week's farm basket! Happy Weekend everyone:)