Sunny Autumn Day

What a beautiful autumn day! The temperature warmed up a little, the sun came out, and we spent some time outside today. There have been a lot of grey skies and rainy days lately so the sunshine was such a wonderful treat. It seemed as though everyone was out taking in the beautiful weather before the very cold weather sets in.

Buzz took a ride on his bike in the park. He's getting very good at it and glides along at quite a speed. He is very fond of riding down hills. He only took one tumble today but he didn't seem at all bothered by it.

After the park we went to the garden to pull a few weeds, plant some bulbs for next year (tulips for the spring), and grab a couple carrots. Buzz pulled up a wonderful purple carrot, it tasted great. I love the way they look, the purple colour is so deep and rich and the centers are bright orange. If you get the chance, pick up some purple carrots, they have them at some grocery stores although they are more common at farmer's markets. These would be so great for kids, they taste very much like orange carrots but the colour makes them fun and interesting.

While at the garden we took in a little of the animal life that resides in the woods that the garden backs onto. A coyote was meandering around the garden plots looking for food, he was a little thin and young looking, hopefully he finds a big groundhog for a good meal. He was skittish enough which was good, he would come close but run off with any  noise. We were sure to keep Buzz close although it was very neat for him to see the coyote. Buzz was very good at pointing the coyote out from across the garden. If you'll remember this isn't the first time we've seen a coyote in Toronto, we saw one earlier this summer just off the highway. 

We've still got a few more things to clean up at the garden, some plants to pull up and some general tidying around the garden so that there is less work to do come spring. We definitely don't want to have as much work to do next spring as we did this spring past.

What I Love Wednesday : Buzz Playing in the Leaves

Now that Autumn is here it is time to start doing all those wonderful things that can only do this time of year, like playing in the leaves! 

 Photo credit this time around goes to my very tall husband who is the perfect height to take photos like this.

Buzz had a chance this past weekend to spend some time in a big pile of leaves with his cousins. He loved it! We'll hopefully have many more leaf jumping days ahead of us before the snow gets here.

Vacation

We've had a vacation! Hurrah for us! Ed hasn't taken much time off of work since Buzz was born and so we thought it was about time he took a couple of weeks off to spend with us doing all sorts of fun things. We went to the zoo, ate ice cream for lunch, took a look at the hockey hall of fame, and generally had a good time. 

We ended the time off with a trip up the trans-canada highway to see my sister. I have two sisters, one living right here in the city with me, and another living an 8 hour road trip away. We were lucky enough that my Toronto sister was also heading up to see our road trip sister and so for the very first time we had all 5 of our children together. They all seemed to get along very well, and the chaos was kept to a minimum which was a bonus. 

Half way through our road trip we stopped at Science North in Sudbury. With our memberships to the Ontario Science Centre we are able to get into other science centres and museums for free, Science North is one of these places. We had a wonderful time and we will definitely be stopping there again, everything is very hands on and I think that is always a mark of a good museum.There were moments when Ed and I were enjoying the exhibits as much, if not more, then Buzz. Everyone was very approachable and the entire set up of the centre made it very easy to go from one floor to the next, best of all there was so much to look at. Here is a pic of Buzz and Ed playing in the sand and making waterways.

 

To enter Science North exhibits you go down a long rock tunnel, Ed lifted Buzz up so that he could touch the top of it.

After our stop we drove the rest of the way to my road trip sister's house and spent the next few days with herself, her husband, and their three kids. 

I made cookies with cookies inside. They were pretty tasty and the kids loved the novelty of it all. Find the recipe here.

We visited a park near my road trip sister's house, they boys were very fond of the pebble beach and the waterfall. They're both wearing hats that I've made for them, I thought they looked like Yoda and an Ewok while walking in the forest. These two got along famously, at 4 and 2 and a half they seem to be a good age match. Buzz is happy to follow his cousin around, and his cousin is happy to let him do so.

Now that we're back in town we seem to be in need of a vacation from our vacation. Buzz is now getting over his first ever ear infection, while I managed to get tonsillitis. We're all feeling much better than we were a couple of days ago, but I think we'll be laying low for the next couple of days so that we will be feeling better for thanksgiving. 

We took Buzz to Dutch Dreams earlier this week. Dutch Dreams is a magical place where ice cream is pretty much the only item on the menu. I've only ever been once before when I came to Toronto to visit my sister and she took me to Dutch Dreams for dinner. Ice cream for dinner.... I thought it was amazing. I've been wanting to go all summer and the opportunity opened up for all three of us to go on a rainy Monday. 

We ordered three scoops with marshmallow topping, it came with whipped topping, fruit, and peanuts. It was good.... very very good. Buzz's eyes got very big when they put it on the table in front of him.

Buzz was tired from a long day out, but he stayed awake long enough to eat a little ice cream and taste the icing sugar sprinkled on the edge of the plate. 

I don't have any pictures of the outside of the building but its covered in cows and bright colours, the inside is crammed full of dutch treats and has cows hanging from pretty much everywhere. Before we left they gave Buzz a balloon, he fell asleep almost as soon as we got on the bus.

More Sewing

If you thought the lightning bolts from yesterday's post were adorable then you will definitely want to check out these delightful new additions to the Mrs.Sewbot family - rainclouds with faces!

Sewing

I'm getting ready this week for a craft show that I'm participating in this weekend, part of the Cabbagetown festival, and so I have been coming up with a few new items that will hopefully delight! There will definitely be more to come but here is a little look at my latest project - lightning bolts! They'll go wonderfully with the clouds that I'm sewing today.

If you are in Toronto then I would highly recommend heading on down to Cabbagetown to check out the festival this weekend. The whole neighbourhood is filled with crafts, yard sales, and tons of people. Last year we all had a great time, Ed took Buzz to the pancake breakfast, they explored playgrounds, I sold crafts and shopped at yard sales, all while soaking in the early autumn weather.

What I Love Wednesday

Hey...its Wednesday. What do I love? Hmm....... I've got it! I love when Ed tosses Buzz in the air (and catches him of course). Buzz giggles, Ed smiles, and for a moment a tiny piece of the world becomes a better place.

Places to Go :a visit to rose beach with wings

We're down to the last days of August and so we hit the beach this weekend to enjoy the slightly cooler weather and the wonderful sunshine. I love when the cooler weather hits but the sky is still full of sunshine. Buzz has a true red head complexion and cooler weather means that he can spend more time in long sleeves and pants, reducing the need for copious amounts of sunscreen.

We were down to Chatham this past weekend for a visit to see my parents and on Sunday we went out for a drive so that we could all dip our feet in the water of Lake Erie. Buzz was a little nervous at first, but he got the hang of the waves and was soon throwing stones into the water and retrieving them once the water retreated. 

I had picked up a pair of blue butterfly wings for him at Wal-Mart earlier in the weekend and he seemed to enjoy wearing them wherever we went. Most people were very receptive to my little boy wearing his blue wings, I think we only heard one comment about how he's going to not like us later in life for putting him in them. The truth of it though is that there really isn't any way we could force him to wear anything. He's old enough now that if he doesn't want to wear something, he takes it off, and that is perfectly fine with us. 

With Halloween coming up (eee!!! I love Halloween) it is a great time to stock up on dress up clothes. If you're trying to build a dress up collection on a budget look for accessories; wings, wands, and hats, as opposed to entire outfits.

I hope that you're enjoying the last few days of summer. Luckily our summers tend to extend well into September. Without the deadline of back to school we are free to enjoy the empty playgrounds and cool breezes.

Food and Animals

I've been crocheting quite a bit this week, I made some baby hats and sold the very first one that I listed on Etsy. I'm hoping to list some more as soon as I can get them made. If you're interested in placing an order for a hat send me a quick message through my Etsy shop.I think my favourite is the fox hat, I find it delightful.

 

Near the end of the week Buzz and I took a trip on a bus and went over to the Eglinton - Yonge neighbourhood to spend some time with friends. We went to the apple tree farmers' market with  my friend D and her beautiful baby. This is a great farmers' market, lots of fresh fruit and veggies, some honey, the chocolate guy, and ready to eat food. Buzz and I had lunch, bought some Kale, and then said goodbye to D and baby boy beautiful. We then walked up the street and met up with Alexis, we did a little more shopping and then went over to her apartment where I made some Kale chips. The Kale chips were simple, rip the leaves into chip sized pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake in the oven at 350 or so for about 10 to 15 minutes. These were a delicious snack, I must find more Kale and snack again.

Yesterday we went to yet another birthday party (our 5th since Buzz's own in April). At this point in the year Buzz has the whole birthday party routine down pat and is quick to chat about cake when we tell him where we're going. Buzz loved the party and was exhausted afterward. As usual he was also a huge fan of the birthday cake.

Today we kept it low key with just a little trip over to drop off our baby swing for Little K to use. It was set up in a hurry and he seemed to like it. We also brought lunch and cherries - a treat for everyone!

On our way home we saw a coyote just off the side of the 401. We were slowed down enough that I was able to get a picture. He blends in pretty well but look close, he's right in the middle. 

I'm excited to see what this week brings, hopefully a few more meetups with friends and a trip or two to a farmer's market. August is almost over and while I'm looking forward to cooler weather, I'm definitely feeling the need to squeeze the last little bit of warmth and fun from the summer.

Places to Go : The David Dunlap Observatory

In an attempt to catch sight of the meteor shower this past weekend we drove up to our local observatory to see what we could see. Unfortunately they had cancelled the event (the meteor shower was still happening I'm sure, we simply didn't have the clear skies or telescopes with which to see it) but they were more than welcoming and invited us onto their creepily dark grounds to get a little tour of the place. The telescope was huge, their building was majestic in the light of the full moon, and it was dark enough to take some pretty awesome flashlight pictures. 

I set the exposure time for 15 or so seconds and Ed wrote my name with a flashlight. I had to flip the image so that my name wasn't backwards, the end result is pretty cool. I want to do another with sparklers.

 

We're hoping to head on up to the observatory again later this summer to catch sight of some stars and dance in the dark.

With the autumn fast approaching I've been busy crocheting some warm hats to sell in my Etsy shop. I've put two lamb hats up already, and although one has sold, there is still one available and I'll be making more just as quickly as I can. Take a peek at my shop and don't forget to check back often!

Rain Day

We have a whole lot of rain in the neighbourhood today and Buzz is loving it. We spent part of the morning watching mighty machines and playing before going for a little walk. Buzz kept mostly dry by wearing his blue raincoat and pink rain boots, I used an umbrella and gave up on the idea of dry feet by opting to wear garden clogs, Buzz's baby Ernie doll didn't even bother with the pretense of clothing.We all went out in the rain and Buzz found just about every puddle out there, at one point he was ankle deep in muddy water, Buzz loves puddles.

At the end of our walk in the rain Buzz was soaking wet from his head to his toes (literally, his socks were soaking wet) and very happy.

Puddle jumping is a sweet part of childhood that can easily be lost, its much easier to stay home on a rainy day, to keep everyone warm and dry in the house, to rush past the puddles while on your way to the bus stop. I think that puddle jumping is too dear an experience to lose to practicality. If its raining where you are then consider putting a hold on your indoor activities, put on some rainboots (or go barefoot in your own driveway), and head outside. Stash a couple of towels by the door so that you can dry off when you get back inside, and go jump in some puddles.

Nature in the City : A Trip to Evergreen Brickworks

If you live in Toronto (or even just nearish) and you haven't been to Evergreen Brickworks I would suggest you thow away all your plans for tomorrow and get there quick. We've been visiting the Brickworks every once in a while for the past year or so and I'm amazed at everything that has changed. When we started going down for their farmer's markets there were more unfinished areas then finished areas and while it was all good and lovely, it has definitely become better.

Today when we went down to the Brickworks we had a few goals; eat some food, pick up some onions, capture at least one decent family picture. Done, done, and done. We had wonderful french fries tossed in herbs and salt, as well as some tasty corn tortillas which were pressed and cooked up right in front of us. Everything we ate was incredibly tasty.

After buying our onions, some peaches and garlic Ed took our produce back to the car, picked up our tripod and we did some exploring and picture taking.

  Evergreen Brickworks is a wonderful example of nature in the city,  you can get to the Brickworks by bus, car, or bike (if you go by car be prepared to pay for parking, if you go by transit you can catch a free shuttle from Broadview Station, and if you go by bike you should stop by the bike works for a tune up). Once you are at the Brickworks you can check out the ponds, see a blue heron or snapping turtle (we saw both and a whole bunch of fish), and hike up to the ridge and take in a view of the city. I can't say enough good things about the Brickworks, they've even added a cafe and an area for the kids where they can learn about nature, water some plants, and play play play.

There are often events at the Brickworks, and of course the farmer's market on Saturday mornings, just check out their website for more information.

a wonderfully fine weekend

I hope that you all are enjoying this wonderfully fine weekend. Up here in Canada we are lucky enough to have a long weekend which means that Ed gets to hang out with us for 3 days instead of the usual 2 - hurrah! What makes this weekend even better is that our only plan is to go to a birthday party and then eat some barbequed deliciousness.

Today we popped over to my sister's house to bring by some vegetables from the garden and take pictures of their new baby. Thats right people - there is a new baby in the family, Little K arrived last week and was the reason we were so busy. I was lucky enough to be in the room when Little K was born and he was super cute from his very first breath. The week that followed Little K's birth was filled with us running around town and visiting Little K at the hospital while visiting the rest of my family that had come in to town to see him too. My sister and my niece flew into the city and in between visits we took a trip through Kensington Market to pick up some delicious food.

Buzz doesn't have much interest in Little K  yet, although he was thrilled that he could see pictures of him on the camera. 

On our way home we stopped at Starbucks to enjoy a nice cool drink, Buzz amused himself by making faces in the mirror. 

Tonight we're looking forward to going over to the garden and ripping out the last of our peas from their plot, we're going to attempt to grow some late carrots as our others have turned out so nicely already. In other garden news we now have a couple fully open sunflowers. These sunflowers are really pretty, a rusty reddish orange colour and standing about shoulder height.

Alright, time to get back to enjoying our leisurely weekend. Ed is snoozing on the couch and Buzz has climbed on top of him and is smooshing Ed's face, I think I must save him.

What I love Wednesday : Hot Evenings and Cool Arenas

A quick 'What I love Wednesday' before I go to sleep. I love love love sitting in a cool hockey arena watching Ed play hockey when it is crazy hot outside. The past couple of weeks Buzz and I have made the trek to the arena with Ed despite the fact that his games were well past Buzz's bedtime. The evenings have been totally worth it, last week the heat was intolerable and Buzz slept for the entire game leaving me to chat with Alexis (she tagged along so that she too could partake in the air conditioning) while crocheting - the evening was blissful!

No photos this time around, the house is silent and Ed and Buzz are sound asleep, I would love to stay up to crochet but alas I too am tired.

Goodnight!

This week has been busy busy busy for us (more on the big reason it was so busy later) and a crazy weekend wouldn't be complete without a visit to the farm. 

Ed's parents run a dairy farm outside of Peterborough and we visit often enough that Buzz is finally becoming familiar with the place. During this trip up he climbed towers of hay bales, showed no fear of cows, and went down a very tall slide, his courage was amazing. (In the picture Ed is attempting to get Buzz down from the bales, he got up with the help of a cousin).

 

I am pretty in love with some of the cows, they can be surprisingly lovely animals if you take the time to scratch behind their ears, this time I fell head over heals for a little jersey cow in the stall at the end of the row. She was smaller then the holstein cows and her face was incredibly sweet. While she was milked I pet her ears and she seemed to like that, sadly she is on loan and so we may never hang out again, but it was nice while it lasted. 

If you live in the city then take a weekend to get out to the country, while not everyone has a farm in the family, most people can take their family to the farm. If you're not sure where to look for a farm near you, start asking around especially at farmer's markets, someone there is bound to have a farm that you can visit. If you are in the Toronto area check out Brook's Farms, you can pick berries, feed some chickens, take a ride on a zipline, and play with all the toys on their giant lawn, they're located outside Newmarket.