Progression of a Marigold - a photo essay

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Father's Day Brunch

Happy Monday. Hard to believe we are already back from the weekend and starting the weekday routine all over again.

Our weekend was wonderful, starting with a bbq Friday night and then Saturday a family birthday party with one of my favorite desserts - strawberry pie with sweet Ontario strawberries - yum!! And then Sunday we woke up to celebrate my Pa! The big old oak dining table was dragged out to the screened in porch and adorned with some sweet ferns and fallen branches to make a rustic, fatherly table center!
Breakfast started off with fresh fruit drizzled in honey and topped with mint.
And then for the main I served bbq roasted mini potatoes and maple syrup and cedar smoked back bacon, poached eggs and roasted red pepper sauce to top it all off!

Two dips in the lake and a few car rides later, here we are back at our desks. I hope you had a perfect weekend and that Monday did not arrive too quickly for you.

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A summer weekend

I have been buzzing around the home and neighborhood today in a airy summer dress without a single chill or goose bump. Summer is here and I can't wait to enjoy it warmth at the cottage this weekend. As always, it promises to pumped full of family and food - like this summer salad I made from my market purchases this week - mustard greens, peppery radishes, and a perfectly ripe avocado. Yum!

And of course we will also be celebrating my Pa this weekend and I have a few yummy breakfast ideas and table decorations in mind...more on that next week!

Have a perfect weekend.

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A break in the clouds

There are times (all the time..) that in my mind I equate my work day to that of being a mom to a lot of little babies. And let just clear the air here, I have no clue what being a mom is like and especially not to a lot of little babies...this is just a reference point...let's carry on..
I feel like I spend my day feeding information to hungry clients. One after another after another. And then there is this brief moment while they are digesting it all that I have about 20mins to myself, before I know the process is going to start up again.

Today that moment hit just after lunch and decided it was the perfect time for a quick walk and lunch break. Googled the weather and the little sun on the website matched what I could see from the corner of the window.

Off I set, only about 15mins now before mouths needed to be fed again. 5 steps out of the door; the sky darkened. 1 block down; a sprinkle of rain...a handful of rain... a TOTAL DOWNPOUR!

I waited it out under a big maple tree and all the other walkers scrambled for cover. I was at the mercy of this downpour and it could not have been more perfect as the rain drowned out all sounds other then itself falling to the ground.

A break in the clouds and I snuck back to work. A break in the clouds that just kept breaking and now the sun is shining brightly just in time for another round of feedings!

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Date Night

A week ago I went on the best date of my life.

We dined at a restaurant recently re-opened just a stroll from my home. We ordered a bottle of wine and a special glass to pair with the cheese course which ended the meal - a meal that lasted hours and we never once felt rushed to leave the table. My date ordered the same thing twice it was so good. At one point, he slid into the bench beside me so we could be closer then the seat across the table allowed. We held hands, looked at each other over candlelight and ooh and ahhhd over amazing food and our luck for being together.

How lucky to have my best date ever 5 years into a relationship with the man I adore. Thank you Mr. S for the best date of my life.

Ps. Looking for the perfect date restaurant in Toronto? Ours was had at the recently re-opened Atlantic.

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Pink Peonies

Happy Monday!
I hope you had a perfect weekend. Mine was filled of good food (smoked salmon on the bbq - smoked only because I accidentally started a small fire on the the inside of the bbq. Yikes, but Yummy!) and family (and a million mosquitoes...) up at the cottage.

Here's to a great start to the week full of pink peonies and issue free work days (a girl can dream...)

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A Parade of Photos and happy weekend

Before we head into the weekend, I wanted to share with you some photos from the two amazing parades that happened out our front door this past weekend!

With so much going on in this city that I love, it is hard to believe that you would ever have to leave... but with the cottage calling me and prep for the G20 meetings putting this sweet city into gridlock, I will be departing for the weekend to enjoy the lake, black flies and a lesson from Papa J on how to build a shed!

Have a perfect weekend full of parades, bright colors and community.

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Soundtrack to a Cloudy Day

It is another gray and drizzly day here and I have been blasting the tunes to keep myself from crawling right back into bed! Today's Sountrack to a Cloudy Day is: jónsi - go.

I am a huge Sigur Ros fan, so when the Jónsi solo record came out they pretty much had me at "its for sale". What I love about this record and Sigur Ros more broadly is that the songs feel epic. And just to be clear, I do not mean epic epic in the sense that this is the best song writing in the world or a band that will go down in history as a great. They are songs that start softly and climax and get huge and Burst and CELEBRATE. They evoke emotion in a superficial way that is almost better then what is felt in truth at the pinnacle of a moment.

I must admit that the lyrics and story are not always what I listen to this music for and while these are not lacking, it is the emotion that I come back for time and time again. And on this rainy day, they are making me feel sunny and excited! perfect.

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A dash of chaos...

I just went to get up from my desk for the first time in way too many hours and looked down to finally notice that today's outfit was an unfortunate pairing of two slightly different shades of athletic gray, in hoodie and jogging pant form. awful.
There is a towel from yesterday on the dining room chair, a single sock on the floor between the kitchen and dining room, a stack of laundry in the office (don't ask) and a stapler by the kitchen sink (obviously). My glasses are being held up by the camera, which is acting as a paperweight for my unopened mail. My cat is sleeping on an unfolded pile of laundry, which in my mind voids the fact that it was just washed.
Life has been so great recently that I have hardly noticed just how chaotic our house has become. A dash of chaos amongst so much good is kind of a relief...for about 10 more mins...

...excuse me; I must go organize!

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Parade of Color

Every year the church in our neighborhood celebrates their Saint with a beautiful parade. The highlight of the parade is always the intricate path they carefully layout; made up of colored wood chips which form different patterns and shapes!

The path stretches approximately 2 blocks long and takes the community all morning to lay out. On this day the sun was shining brightly and the colors were so vibrant and beautiful.

After the parade has been marched, the path is almost more beautiful as the space between colors and patterns have been blurred into one long mural. We feel so luck to be a part of a community where these amazing experiences march right past our door.

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Parades and pancakes and so much more...

A week? It can't have been...
I am sorry for disappearing for so long; life has just been so packed full of goodness that I rarely find myself with the time to sit down to reflect on it all.
Now things are a degree quieter and I can't wait to post about everything the passing days have brought to us - 2 parades, garden surprises, visits with sweet babes and homemade Belgian waffles (with vanilla whip cream to boot!); Market treats, seasonal vegetables and life changes galore!

Happy Monday!

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