Friday Potpourri ~ Boo!

Truth be told I am really not into Halloween

I love the treats

and the pumpkins

via

but I have never been one for dressing up

or doing a lot of decorating

I do love seeing the kids ~ especially the little ones

so I cannot wait to answer the door tonight

via

via

tomorrow we head to the cape

and close up the cottage for the season

so sad ~ we hardly used it this year

rain is in the forecast so I will make a big pot of soup

to have when we come home

with some home made biscuits

via

brownies are in the forecast as well

a little craving going on here

via

it has been a long hard week

a very busy time ~ stressful

I have a couple of friends going through some difficult times

so I think about them and worry

and pray

via

maybe cake will make everything better

no?  ok then

I originally had vacation planned for next week

but decided to work a few days of it so I made 2 long weekends

I will take a day for me and a day for errands and getting things done

as November comes the calendar begins to fill up

plans are made ~ we start the lists

so I will take this weekend to do some pre-planning

to help ease the hustle and bustle of what is just around the corner.

happy weekend

Friday Potpourri ~ Life Lately

Rain ~ rain ~ rain

taking away all our wonderful fall foliage 

via

I feel like it has been so long since I just did a 

random what I have been up to lately post

well today is the day

last month the weekend before I flew to Toronto

I got together with my Eaton's girls

we talked ~ we danced ~ we sang

and we may have consumed a few beverages

I laughed so hard ~ my voice was horse the next day from signing

and I my knees may have been a tad sore from busting a move or two

I love my times with these girls ~ they are forever friends

via

trying this cake soon ~ looking for an excuse to make it

tomorrow night is game night with

#thebestneighboursever

trying to figure out which dip to make to take

via

via

 Thanksgiving weekend we had 2 full days

and one relaxing one

Saturday we headed to the camp ~ it was fall clean up

so while the boys were outside cleaning out the shed and putting

away the summer stuff ~ the girls were inside sorting through

things in the loft and purging what we could

via

before we had supper the 5 of us walked down to the river

I read a poem ~ we sprinkled some ashes in the river

then each threw a yellow carnation in 

the photographer in me wanted a shot of the 5 flowers 

floating along with the current

but it was a sacred time ~ not a kodak moment

it is burned in my memory though ~ it was beautiful

#prayingforOttawa #Ottawastrong

via

I have never made apple butter but this recipe is the best excuse to try it

catching up on my shows ~ loving Nashville

and Thursday nights are my favourite

also caught up on my blog reading ~ feels good

currently reading James Patterson ~ 12th of Never

cannot put it down

via

Thanksgiving Sunday I hosted dinner

there were 7 of us around the table ~ it was a stress free day

I had everything done up early and a lot of the dishes went into the oven

hoping to pull it off again at Christmas!

via

the flannel sheets and quilt are back on the bed

the summer clothes are put away

now to do the same for the outdoor stuff

praying for a nice day on Sunday

Hoping you have a great weekend!

All About the Pumpkin

Pumpkin has always been a favourite of mine

from pies and breads

to cakes and dips

because it is prime pumpkin season

I decided to pull together some of the best recipes I have tried

or ones that I want to

via

 pumpkin snickerdoodles ~ seriously

via

 you had me at hello....

via

 with cream cheese frosting

via

 what is better than pumpkin pie ~ tarts of course

via

 this looks so yummy ~ I cannot wait to try it

via

 I have had this pinned forever but have not tried it yet ~ soon

via

 donuts!

via

 mini cheesecakes

via

 I have made this blueberry pumpkin bread for a few years now

every fall it gets pulled back out ~ love it

via

 scones ~ pumpkin = love

via

 we tried this dip last year and it is so good

nice and light

via

 all kinds of pumpkin inspiration over here

and this french toast is a winner

via

pumpkin sugar cookies

via

this pumpkin swirl cheesecake I have made many times

it is made with a ginger cookie crust which just adds to the yumminess of it!

with rain in the forecast tomorrow ~ I may just have to try out one of these.

Happy Weekend!

Friday Potpourri ~ Thankful

via

Yes ~ back so soon ~ I have missed this

but with the hustle and bustle 

and sunshine and life that summer offered

well you can see why I only stopped in to document a few things

then I was off again

via

truth be told ~ I always said that when my posts felt like work

then I would step away

and I do think that the step back has done me good

there are some things on my heart right now

that I eventually will lay out there

but not today ~ you see this is the start of our long weekend

as Thanksgiving is on Monday

via

via

it is going to be a busy weekend as we are off to the camp tomorrow

getting rid of some stuff

and taking some time to honour Trev's Dad, 

as his birthday is today

then on Sunday we will have our feast

turkey ~ dressing and all the trimmings

we are hosting ~ planning on 6

but you never know ~ there may be more

via

Monday will be a day for me

get a few things done and a lot of relaxing

loving the warm days and cooler nights

I do not like the sun setting by 7 and after the time change

that will be sooner ~ nope ~ definitely not liking that 

via

thank you for your comments

your emails

your friendship

and Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians

Celebrating 50 Years

Just over a week ago I was up before the birds

honestly ~ I do not see 5:00 AM on a regular basis

but this was a special occasion as I had a plane to catch

I jetted off to Toronto for the weekend

I know ~ fancy that!

I was going for a reason of course

as a very special couple was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary

you know you have your favourites and these are two of mine

Aunt Jeanne is my Dad's older sister 

and they were really close

it was Dad that introduced them 52 years ago

and after all this time they are still going strong

I had not seen them in 7 years ~ way too long

there have been health issues through the years

so when this opportunity came up I made it happen

when we were there on Friday prepping for the party

I sat on the front step ~ so many memories

in that house, on that street

it felt like being home ~ that makes me smile 

even as I type the words right now

Aunt Jeanne, Chris, Uncle Dave & Gina

Gina worked so hard planning everything out

and I was happy to be there to help her with food prep ~ decorating

organizing ~ lists galore ~ we were in our element

she found this on Pinterest and ordered it from Etsy

everyone thought it was a great idea

this is my Auntie Sue ~ another favourite

she is the baby of the family and I love her to pieces

I flew up on Thursday morning and home Sunday night

so my time was brief but we packed a lot of memories into 4 days

she's my best girl and I love her so.....

I feel like I have been gone forever and a day

but I know I haven't

I fly in ~ read a bit ~ try and leave some comments 

then I am off again

don't give up on me ~ I am still here.....