What October brought into my life

October is my second favorite month of the year... December being #1 ! Here is a list of a few things October has brought into my life :

- chill in the air (I hate warm weather).
- delicious smell of composting leaves.
- going pumpkin shopping.
- a very much appreciated visit from my daughter.
- visiting a lost paradise (Birchdale Lake Retreat).
- having coffee and an hour-long conversation with my grown son.
- appreciating my health and the health of my family (my brother started kidney dialysis this month).
- attending a yoga workshop.
- frenchying, trifting and borrowing to put together my halloween costume.

Hoping November brings everyone joy and happiness !

Oh what a night

Halloween dance last night at the Blue Rock Lounge... Oh, what a night ! Below - getting ready at one of the participant's house.



It's all for fun and it's not about winning, but I WON FIRST PRIZE !!!!! Honestly, I wasn't in it for winning. Actually, I did'nt even know there was a contest.

Baking

Wish you could smell this field berry pie. It smells soooooooo much like Christmas.

I am off work today and tomorrow... so I thought I'd do some baking this morning. My grand-mother and my mother always made these cinnemony pinwheels with what ever was left of the pie dough and I do the same !

In the mail

Look at what was in my mailbox today. My third issue of Natural Life Magazine. I like this magazine but I don't think I will renew my subscription. I can read the entire contents on their website.
If you look closely you can see part of my halloween costume in the upper corner of the picture.

I've been thinking about it... yup, only the thinking part yet. But I might be making a scrap quilt. I've started looking for scraps at Frenchy's. We'll see, I'll keep you posted.

The other woman

Dave and I have been happily married for 28 years but I've had to cope with ''the other woman'' for most of the 28 years. She's pretty quiet though and he only takes her out on Saturday nights.
There she is resting for the weekend ! I am very proud of my husband for being such an amazing and talented musician. I enjoy very much watching him play his charished guitar.

Come on, look at them... what a pair !

Sunday drive

Dave and I went for a typical sunday drive this afternoon in search of this...

... and this is only one of many beautiful sights we encountered on said drive.

This is the very last harvest of the chamomile.

I still had loads of rosemary in the herb garden so I made this nice rosemary wreath. Makes the kitchen smell oh so delicious and earthy.

What you may or may not know

In no particular order, here are 60 things you may or may not know about me :

1. I am the 7th of 8 kids.
2. I can type 120 wpm.
3. I've been married for 28 years.
4. I met my husband at an outside music festival.
5. I'm right handed.
6. I love pizza, fries and sardines.
7. I've been to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto - twice.
8. I've been to Niagara Falls.
9. I love yard-saling and trifting.
10. I love to tend my organic gardens.
11. I am an environmentalist.
12. I love simple living.
13. I am not a social butterfly.
14. I am a home-body.
15. I've never been a maid-of-honor nor a bridesmaid.
16. I have a bad book-buying obsession.
17. I love the smell of school supplies.
18. I only learned to drive when I was 19.
19. My first car was a cream Omni.
20. My favorite holiday is Christmas.
21. My favorite season is Autumn.
22. My favorite candy bar is Snickers.
23. I was in a Miss Pageant - twice.
24. I hate to sew - so I don't.
25. I cook most of our meals from scratch.
26. I've never had a maid and don't want one.
27. I love self-help books.
28. I love cajun food.
29. I do "some" scrapbooking.
30. I prefer Colgate to Crest.
31. I am scared crazy of snakes.
32. I practice yoga daily.
33. I want to visit India.
34. But I don't like flying.
35. I don't have many friends, but I cherish those that I have.
36. I love everyting about the ocean.
37. I don't have a favorite book, I love them all.
38. My father died when I was 16.
39. I prefer red over white wine.
40. I reuse, recycle and repurpose whenever possible.
41. I can't wait to turn 50.
42. I love Oprah.
43. I roll laughing watching The Office.
44. When I grow up I want to be a professional dancer.
45. I was the baby of the family for 7 years.
46. But I love my baby brother.
47. I hate hot weather.
48. I love walking in the rain.
49. I believe in ghosts.
50. I only have one pet, a dog, her name is Tabi.
51. My favorite color is all shades of blue.
52. I love living in the country.
53. I hate whiners and complainers.
54. I enjoy watching my husband play guitar.
55. I hate squash, anything else I love.
56. I love my bike, a surprise "for no reason" gift from my husband.
57. I talk to myself, but not all the time.
58. I want to learn to play the violin.
59. I am blessed with two wonderful children.
60. I have the BEST husband in the whole entire world.

Another great soup

Made this fabulous Spinach Tomato Rice Soup while supper was cooking tonight. I copied the recipe from a blogger and stupid me, I forgot to take down the name (so sorry to the blogger for this mistake). The soup is very good. Will be inserted in the recipe book for sure. In the picture, the soup was just starting to boil so you can't see the basmati rice.

Nova Nada

Today we went on a day-trip to Birchdale Lake Retreat, formerly Nova Nada. It had been over 30 years since I had gone and when I went it was the Nova Nada Monastery. I am still breathless as to how pure a small piece of nature this is. The two following pictures are scenes ''en route'' to the retreat.


The following picture is the first picture Dave took of me standing in front of Birchdale Lake... we had reached our destination. We had to drive 17 km on a gravel road to get there, but it sure was worth the drive.

One of the many cabins.


Dave sitting on the porch of the main lodge, where food is prepared (the lodge not the porch).

Walking along the trail, a view of the lake.

The chapel and library.

Having our picnic lunch on the porch of one of the cabins.

A few cabins.

We had to take a few shots of autum leaves on our way back...



I wonder what I will be dreaming about tonight... Thank you sooooooo much Dave for taking me there today.

Soup

I love soup...
...could live on the stuff (and sandwich) every day for quite a while. Our favorite is potato leek. I wipped it up tonight for Dave. He's been under the weather lately with a cold. He can take the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow.

Halloween Deco

A few pictures of some of the halloween decorations around the house. I guess halloween is meant to be scary but this witch scares the diggins out of me. Found her at Frenchy's tonight.

Another Frenchy's Find witch.

I love this pumpkin. It looks like the real thing but it's made of foam.


Centre piece decoration on the kitchen table, not from Frenchy's.


Cute metal candy holder - again, not from Frenchy's.


Not halloween related at all but wanted to show-off my display of simple vases with dried wild flowers that have gone to seed. Got this idea from my new book I found at Frenchy's last week New Country.

I am desparately trying to piece together my halloween costume. My friend, Clarisse already has hers. Here is a picture from last year.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a nice sunny Thanksgiving weekend. Seems all we did was eat, eat and eat some more. Made these two pumpkin pies Saturday morning. This recipe calls for a cream cheese mixture on the bottom, very yummy !

While we waited for Ginette's arrival (and André and Puss) Saturday early afternoon, Dave picked the crabapples from the lawn.

Ginette and Puss. He is one loved cat !

Cutie Pie witch sitting on the rocking chair awaiting halloween.

We have soooooooo much to be thankful (all year, not just one day in October). I leave you with what I am thankful for the most in my life and the first thing I think about upon waking up in the morning...

They say that there is no end to the universe. I tell Ginette and Luc that I love them ''three times the universe''.

Everything autum

Took out good old Mr. Scarecrow today. This old fella towers 7 feet over the garden. Dave built him for me almost 10 years ago. He is showing off his new shirt that Dave found for him at Frenchy's.

He is such a smiley person...

Colleen, please tell Jayla I baked the apple cake (the recipe you had posted) this afternoon and we already ate 1/4 of it. Need I say - it is delicious. The dark patches on top are not ''burn marks'' it's the cinnemon sugar.


This picture, I'm posting... just because !

Horray for Frenchy's

My latest Frenchy's finds.

These beautiful Converse shoes. What a perfect color combination.

And check-out this bag/carry-all. A beautiful ''dirty'' linen.


And check-out the button detail. Circular piece of branch with the bark still on.

Earth tones

Took these pictures around the yard late afternoon today. Wanted to share them with you.