canoe cove

 We just returned from a week in PEI with our family from Ottawa, and from the island. It was everything I always knew PEI to be. 
PEI holds all kinds of memories for me, mostly beautiful memories of my childhood summers, but also some memories of heart break and disappointment. I'm happy to say, this visit was a happy one. One filled with beautiful memories, that we will tuck away in our heart until next time. 
We stayed at a little seaside cottage in Canoe Cove, right on the Northumberland Straight. The water and sands were warm. The tides came and went. We found star fish, crabs and moon snails. We watched seals play in the water and rest on the sandbars. It was beautiful. 
We also made our way around the island, doing the amusement parks and Anne of Green Gables in Cavendish (I don't love amusement parks, but seeing the kids' faces light up was sweet), and doing some shopping at the PEI Preserve Company and in Charlottetown. 
We also celebrated three birthdays while there, Noah, Nanas and Maya's, and we ate plenty of Cows icecream- Apple Crisp is by far my favourite flavour. 
PEI, you were good to us. You gave us walks on the beach, beach glass to find, delicious food to enjoy and so much more. 
Until next time. 
xox

Happy Fall

So much time has passed since I last came here to write. 
Life has picked back up again, since September came along. School, activities, and a big one - I returned to teaching after nearly 10 years of a break. Of course I volunteered in classrooms, ran playgroups, was a visiting artist over those 10 years, but I am now a substitute teacher and am keeping busy with 2-3 days of work a week. 
This new job works very well for us, for a number of reasons. The biggest one being the flexibility. I can work the days I want, and be home on the days I want. I have a job that I like, but I don't have to do all the prep, assessment or extra work that teachers normally do. So yes, as you can imagine, we are busy. 
The thing is though, I truly am being mindful of this "busy" chapter that we are beginning here. It's very easy for things to become undone, when we all have to be in different places at once. 
I'm trying my best to carve out down time for us all, to manage the commitments, to prioritize what is most important. 

Things that are important to me are: 

~ family dinners
~ quiet weekends (sometimes that means church, a walk in the woods, time for the kids to play with neighbours)
~ connecting with friends for meals, walks, coffee.... real life connection

~ reading, cooking, being at home
~ picking up my camera to document our days and moments

And so here we are in October. My very favourite time of year. Thanksgiving, deep red leaves, crisp days, burnt orange pumpkins. I wish these days would never end, but perhaps there is a short window, so that we know just how much to appreciate it. 


Happy Fall dear friends. May there be many walks in the woods. May you have a cozy sweater to wrap yourself in. May the air smell of cinnamon and wood smoke. Happy Fall. 


xox

family traditions, pumpkin waffles and kids.

Every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) for the months of September and October, I make a big batch of pumpkin spice waffles for breakfast. It is tradition in our house to have waffles or pancakes for breakfast on the weekend, and sometimes bacon too. There are two things that I love about this, 1) the notion of a family tradition. 2) pumpkin spice! Hello Autumn! 

Fall is here, and as usual, we are being treated to a long and beautiful season. There have been hikes, the making of pumpkin people, pumpkin spice and apple spice baking, time for crafting, early nights and crisp mornings. I'm smitten with you Fall. You are my very favourite season. 

Other things I am loving, family traditions. We have a few traditions, that to me, are special and grounding. Family movie night always happens on a Friday night. Throughout the week, we have a no TV policy after dinner time, so Friday night is a welcomed treat for the kids. Popcorn, maybe some hot chocolate and always jammies. I love jammies. 

Other family traditions include, a blessing at dinner time and a prayer at bedtime. We may not have our faith nailed down to a specific affiliation, but that does not mean we don't teach our kids to give thanks and believe in a greater meaning. Prayers offer comfort and reassurance to ourselves and the kids. I like this. 

I love these little traditions that we have built up. I feel like they are special and unique to us. They help us build memories and take a break from the monotony of the everyday. I'm wondering if we might add some other traditions into our week. We used to do pizza Friday (like my friend Sarah), maybe we could get back into that. 

Other things to update. Noah participated in x-country running this Fall and did really well! He consistently came in around the 8th place for all 5 of his meets. 8th out of all the grade 3 boys for our school board! We were super proud of him. 

Katia has been doing a jazz/ballet class and is loving it! We can't wait for her Christmas performance in December. 

And Wesley, well he's just been happy doing his thing. We have been busy going for lots of hikes, out to the library and we've even attended some playgroups (something new for me). 

Life is chugging away, and it's a beautiful thing. 

I have been working hard these past few months at being more honest with myself and dealing with my issues, so that I don't pass them onto my kids (one of my many reasons). Also, I just want to be a happier, more balanced and peaceful self. I'm getting there. 

The other day, while out on my walk, I started to think ahead to my New Years "word". You know, the theme word that I like to choose each year. In the past it was peace, adventure, quiet. Well, I think I have it decided (a first for me), but I am not quite ready to share it. It feels good to be self reflective and to listen to myself.

I'm hoping that Fall is treating everyone out there well. May hygge be alive and well in your homes and hearts. 

december moments

December is here and I am making sure that I find moments to slow down and enjoy this most beautiful season. 

I have been looking inwards, to try and make some sense of what this season means to me. 

Spiritually, I cannot deny that there is a feeling of anticipation, wonder, renewal and a need for quiet, all in my heart and mind. 

So I make conscious decisions to put down my phone, turn off the noise, and just be. 

At night, I allow myself to feel the darkness, and listen to the little breaths from my babies who sleep next to me. I try to let go of worries. I try to accept and embrace what is. 

In the day, I bundle everyone up, and we head for an adventure in the woods. As we walk further and further, we move away from the development and deeper into the woods. The promise of a hot chocolate picnic keeps the older two in tow. 

At home, I have designated our spare room to my crafting, card writing, and present wrapping. My sewing machine has been a whirring lately. It feels good to know that many of the gifts we are giving this year, are homemade and from the heart. 

In the kitchen we have been enjoying hearty meals by candlelight. Knowing that it is important to come together, to sit, to share, to pause. 

This season, I am letting Christmas be, what it will be. I'm letting go of high expectations and am taking stock of what we have in front of it, and it is more than enough. 

May this season be what you need it to be. 

xox 

beyond words and pictures

When I was a little girl, one of my most favourite things to do was to go for a hike in the Gatineaus during the Fall. Each year, for my birthday party, I would ask that we all drive up to the Gatineaus and go for a hike. I remember then, just as I do now, being so at peace and at home, amongst the bright and firey maples, the soft scented pines, and the babbling brooks. I loved to be immersed in Fall!
The one issue I had with these special hikes, were just how infrequent they were (only on weekends, my parents worked during the week), and how far the Gatineaus were. The drive was upwards of an hour. If I had my way, I bet I would've gone daily if I could.
Now, fast forward nearly 25 years, and here I am, in likely, the most beautiful spot in the country to celebrate and experience Fall.
I've tried to write about just how spectacular Fall is here in the Valley, but I feel my words fall short in doing it justice. I've also tried taking pictures, to capture the colours and bounty, but even my pictures don't amount to the real beauty. Instead I just walk and breathe, and let myself experience it.
Last week, after the kids got home from school, I decided that we all needed to take a walk in the woods. I wanted to take them far, not just the trail that backs our subdivision, but really deep into the woods. I was worried that they would get tired and bored, but we all just kept going ... with the hope of discovering something special.
Katia found a great walking stick, Noah and his friend who came along, threw rocks and picked up sticks... and then we all stopped.
Shhhhhhhh, you guys, look! There, up in the tree. Hold still guys, it's an owl.
And there it was. A beautiful Barred Owl, just starring down at us, following us with it's head.
We all stood there, just watching, knowing that this was special and that we were in the right place at the right time.
The Fall has brought such lovely memories for us all. My birthday (we went to see Beauty and the Beast), a big trip to the Yukon for Wesley and I, family visiting for Thanksgiving, Autumn excursions to apple orchards and corn mazes, and many beautiful Fall photo sessions.
It's a busy time, and I don't always make writing a priority. Instead, I am focusing on being present and enjoying the moments as they come.
Some pictures from Thanksgiving and the Yukon.
xox