Trick or TREAT!

Happy Halloween!

I love any reason to decorate the house, my tiny human, my nails and of course to bake!!!

Even though it is no where near as big of a deal here as it is at home I still celebrate every year.

For round one of my Halloween nails see here.

I did three different things to bring it to work for Halloween this year, my first time baking for this job...the pressure was ON!

Rice Crispy Pumkins...a la pinterest.

Witches fingers - bloody and oozy

Halloween inspired Nanaimo Bar

I think they turned out ok...although seems like I should have made more of the pumpkins!

I'm really hoping we get lots of trick or treaters tonight (we had NONE last year!!) So really, I'd be happy with one.

We're watching scary movies (well not too scary as the Hubs is a proper wimp) and eating soup and probably a lot of treats tonight...what are you up to?

Hope you have a spooky evening, whatever you're doing!

a xxx

Nailed it!

Went seasonal and did some blood spatter nails for Halloween...

SCARY!

a xxx

Photo Friday

Breakfast in bed and a five year wedding anniversary!

The Tiny Human got his first hair cut! GAHHHHH

He was much braver than I!

Lots of long walks

Autumn is winning right now!

Saturday selections

Watching: Vikings...and loving it.

Listening: Found my Coconut records Nighttiming CD - amazing flashbacks and so easy to listen to

Reading: The Goldfinch - halfway through this beauty and really really enjoying it.

Wishing: So much on the wish list right now...lucky its only a few weeks until my birthday and Christmas!! Desperate for new black skinnies like these, these or these. And wanting to get some more ankle boots; these, these and these are top of the list.

Loving: A Beautiful Mess - the app, the website everything - so much inspo!!!


Doing: Halloween stuff - costumes, pumpkin stuff, decorating the house

Making: Besides the relevant Halloween stuff...working on a family photo book and the Tiny Humans baby book too...

Eating: I made the most amazing butternut squash soup last week, had it for dinner THREE times. So delicious. Will be doing it again this weekend and might even get around to posting the recipe.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!!

a xxx

Photo Friday

Pumpkin patch visits

Lots of park action

MORE pumpkins...

Blurry, but new nails!!

Working hard...

Autumn walks

a xxx

Photo Friday

Day long meetings made easier by this view.

Getting in to Christmas early this year!!!

Tiny human gets real food this Thanksgiving

Hide and seek

Rainbow before, during and after the rain.

Happy Friday - hope you have a lovely weekend!!!

a xxx

Non-waterproof umbrellas

The other day I was waiting for my train home and the rain was coming down so hard it actually started raining INSIDE my umbrella.

I love the clear cold numb cheeks and noses, and cozy clothes days of autumn. Crunchy leaves and the sun having just a little bit of warmth.

What I don't love are soggy leaves, wet feet (one of my worst things in life!!) and damp everything...

So rain rain GO AWAY!

Unless I don't have anywhere to go and can sit inside, drink lots of tea, coffee and red wine, read magazines and books and watch movies...those rainy days are just fine by me!

a xxx

Giving thanks

Even though I live outside of my 'home and native land' I still try to celebrate the national holidays...as well as being an excuse for nice food and spending time with friends and family (let's be real, that's the basis for all good holidays!) it's also become more important since the tiny human showed up - as I want him to have some Canadian...and American traditions and understand his Mommas background.

There are very few moments I genuinely and honestly feel like I wish I had a teleporter to take me home immediatly - but seeing the insta's and snapz from my sister really made me want to click my heels together and go home.

I have lots to be thankful for, and I really appreciate having a day where the whole purpose is to be thankful...think about the things that make you happy and are the good bits...which for me, often get stuck behind the bits that aren't so good, or that annoy and frustrate me.

So here's to a day dedicated to giving thanks, spending time with family and friends and being really really full.

For those who want to know what Canadian Thanksgiving is all about, or why it's different than American...here's a link.

a xxx

Falling in to Autumn

So even though the weather people are forecasting higher temperatures by the weekend, we'd be kidding ourselves by thinking that we're not falling in to Autumn.

It's dark when wake up, and peeling the duvet off and crawling out of bed is getting harder and harder...the only thing that encourages the swift run downstairs is the promise of the boiler turning on and hot coffee.

The tiny human even needed encouragement to get out of bed today.

But with the dark, wet and cold mornings come all sorts of wonderful autumnal things that I cannot wait for...here's a random list of the stuff I'm excited about over the next 6 weeks (before I can get properly excited about Christmas)!

1. Clear cold blue skies, crunchy leaves and long bundled up walks
2. Pumpkin everything (pie, pancakes, muffins, cookies, cakes, coffee, beer...everything)
3. Two Thanksgivings (one of the benefits of being half Canadian and half American)
4. Regular roast dinners and long Sunday lunches...(one of the benefits of being married to a Brit and living in the UK)
5. Puddle jumping with the tiny human - his excitement is contagious
6. Big cozy sweaters and BOOTS!
7.  Lots of hot drinks, mulled wine, winter Pimms, coffee, tea, big mugs of steaming yummy
8. Open fires - second year with real fireplaces in our house...can't wait!
9. Halloween - costumes, pumpkin carving, decorating the house and lots of candy
10. Visiting the pumpkin patch
11. Sofa snuggles with books and blankets
12. Pub lunches after long walks
13. The CROCKPOT!
14. Crafting
15. Lots and lots of red wine 

What are you excited about this Autumn?

a xxx