Simpler. Sorta.

Hello, lovelies! Sorry for the wee break there! That was certainly unintentional.

Fall is here, and I could not be more delighted. Oh fall. How I love thee. Jackets have been brought out from storage, hats have been knit, and root veggies have been roasted. All very good things.

(Both of the above jackets were hand-knit by the boys' great-grandma, and belonged to my husband when he was a wee one.)

On a particularly rainy and sleepy day last week, my husband played hookie from work (shh!), and we all took a day to relax and decompress. Or, that was the idea. Rather than slowing down, I simplified, sort of. In an ongoing effort to free ourselves from relying on corporations to feed us, we have taken many steps to simplify our food. We always buy most of our produce from the local market, and always buy organic. To take an extra step, I decided to use my "free" day to cook up some other goods that would have otherwise been purchased. I whipped up these crackers (yum!), jars upon jars of jam (from the blackberries picked a few weeks ago... I used this recipe), and fig newtons.

The fig newtons were a real treat. They are Quinn's favorite cookie (really, the only cookie he knows...). They were a little labour-intensive, but surely worth it. The recipe is from Vegan With A Vengeance.

Another treat is the little Italian shop we have a few blocks away that sells vegan ravioli! Goodness. I love ravioli, and theirs is just fantastic. They sell 3 kinds: butternut squash, mushroom, and spinach, and all three are just lovely. I whipped up some homemade pesto, and a fresh salad, and dinner was served!


We had a fantastic weekend, attending a vegan pie party (oh yes. I have some good friends.), and the Taste of Health. I also threw together this hat for Quinn at the last minute. It didn't turn out quite as charming as the photo in the book, but I kind of love it anyways. It has a sweet pilgrim feel to it. And the hot air balloon ribbon just makes me smile.


I hope you all are doing well and keeping cozy!

xo

Happiness is...

Takeout.

Pancakes for supper.
(Pancakes are the basic recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance)

Yummy food.
(So many thanks to Monika K. for letting me in on this cucumber salad recipe. So so delightful.)

Keith's old record player, and my old record now being enjoyed in the boys' bedroom.

And some afternoon music, on our new-to-us couch.

Some other things that are bringing me happiness these days...
- dreaming about new shoes, particularly these, these, and these, even though I clearly need no more shoes... it is so fun to pretend that they will magically fall into my lap...
- fall! in all it's beautiful, warm glory (particularly all the good fall produce at the farmer's market. yes, fall truly is my favorite time of year.)
- maybe these shoes too...
- listening to Julie Doiron's Heart and Crime album, especially the song Wintermitts, which I want to sit and listen to over and over again
- Julie & Julia, which is quite possibly the most not-vegan book ever written, but is entertaining me nonetheless
- finally finishing my business website, and patiently awaiting clients...

I hope you're all enjoying some happiness right now as well!
xo

The Longest Weekend

The Labour Day Weekend was a couple weeks ago, and we enjoyed our 3 days together as best we could. It was a very eventful weekend, filled with friends and fun.

Sunday was our busiest day, beginning with our weekly trip to the local market, then to a second handmade market, and then on to a spectacular concert. The concert was certainly the highlight of the day, shared with good friends.
The evening was chilly, and the yarn and knitting was a comfort.
Rebekah knits, and Richard winds a ball.
Socks in progress, and some reading material, for in-between sets.
Keeping warm with cuddles and dance.
We are not big car users, usually reserving our car usage for the weekend, but this weekend we stuck to our bicycles. Not being a long-distance bicycler, I was amazed to learn that we had biked 31 km in one day! We were sure worn out by nightfall, as were our wee ones.

The next day we met up with a small group of lovelies to pick blackberries. I am so lucky to live nearby bushes and bushes of these sweet treats!
Our bounty at the end of the day was great, and my berries are resting in my freezer, just waiting to become jam.

Thank you for the company, friends!
xo

Oh, yes yes please!

Bored? This should keep you busy for a while.



My dream fall ensemble. I need much longer hair to pull off the beret/ tam, but in my dream fall world, I have longer hair, so it works. Also, the boots are sonotvegan, but in my dream fall, they are. So there.

Go, play!
xo