It is time to be thinking about putting the garden to bed for the winter. As the temperature drops and the weather begins to cool, fall clean up begins.
Today in the vegetable garden, I cut back some plants and harvested my root vegetables. It looks so empty now, but I left the kale in hopes that it will continue to grow as the temperature gets cooler.
The process of putting the garden to bed offers a chance for reflection on the year’s growing season, evaluating successes, failures, and considering new approaches for the next year.
Elsewhere, some plants are slowly dying, but some are still blooming beautifully. The bee and butterfly garden is still thriving. It is safe to say that this new pollinator garden was a huge success! I will start trimming the perennials tomorrow and scatter seeds for next year.
Although this process of harvesting and cleaning up seems like the final phase of the year, gardening is a year-round activity that involves planning in Winter, planting in Spring, enjoying the fruits of your labour in Summer, and preparing (like today) for the next season in Fall.
Good night for now, my sweet garden!
I am sharing about my recent visit to Ste. Anne’s Spa in Grafton, Ontario. I was fortunate to be gifted a day at the spa with my teaching partner as an end of year gift from some of our students. It was a thoughtful, generous and heartfelt gesture that we greatly appreciated.
This was my first time going to Ste. Anne’s and it was amazing! The moment that you walk up to the grounds you feel like you are special. The colourful fall leaves on the trees, pumpkins and fall flowers artfully placed throughout the property and a heritage stone castle nestled among the hills – what could be better?
The dining experience was fantastic with delicious food, beautiful plating, and a focus on relaxation. We enjoyed a three-course lunch and afternoon tea in a serene atmosphere where everyone prioritized slowing down. The menu showcased farm-to-table cuisine, featuring seasonal ingredients at their best.
The day consisted of various activities. We relaxed in hydrotherapy pools, enjoyed the sauna, walked on the trails, had a hand treatment, ate delicious food, and had great conversation.
I recommend visiting Ste. Anne’s Spa for a rejuvenating experience. Treat yourself with kindness and indulge in a wonderful day of relaxation and self-care.
On the weekend, I was fortunate to visit Bon Echo Provincial Park. The weather was like a summer day, although we are full into the fall season. The sun shining through the trees was spectacular.
We spent the day sitting around an afternoon fire, eating lunch, enjoying conversation and making camping tea on the Coleman stove. We got the opportunity to walk along the trails, take some photos, and smell the fresh, clean air and spend time with each other.
It was a wonderful day, filled with family, love, and nature. Looking up into the trees just gives me such peace. This photo captures a feeling for me, serenity and calm. In the busy day to day, hustle and bustle, this photo is a reminder for me to take a moment.
Sometimes, you just need to listen to the trees.
The last few weeks have been very busy in our house! We have a new addition to our family and his name is Milo.
To say that he has filled our hearts with lots of love is an understatement; he has fit right in to our family and our home.
When we first saw a photo of Milo, my husband said we had to have him. He shared with me that as a child he had a little brown stuffed dog that he loved. Even after more than thirty years of marriage we are still learning about each other. After that moment we both knew we needed a little brown dog in our lives.
We have been busy with all things puppy since we got him, but we are starting to get into some good routines. We’ve been super lucky with him sleeping through the night since his first night with us (touch wood).
He has a little bounce in his run that makes my heart melt. Milo loves to chase a ball, chill at your feet and is a happy little ball of brown fluff. I can’t imagine our lives without him. Welcome little one!
I love to watch the Magnolia Network’s show Zoe Bakes. It is a lovely curly haired lady who bakes delicious recipes in her magnificent kitchen. She is down to earth, funny and uses ingredients that you would have in a well stocked pantry.
The local blueberries this season were so delicious. They were full of flavour and sweet. My daughter and I wanted to bake something with our extra berries and came across the Zoe Bakes’ recipe for blueberry bars.
This recipe was a little more complicated than I normally attempt; however, my daughter was on hand to supervise me. She prepped the ingredients and gave hints and tips as I went along and we made a pretty good team.
The bottom crust was a shortbread cookie crust and we added fresh thyme from the garden. The middle was a homemade blueberry filling, and the top was a lattice top crust made out of cream cheese dough. I have never made any type of pie dough, but it was much easier than I thought. The trick to having the lattice top be manageable was to freeze it once you had woven it and then it was much easier to handle.
When we pulled the final product out of the oven it smelled so good. The blueberry filling was gooey and bubbling. The next time I make it, I think I will leave it in the oven for a tiny bit longer so that the middle was more golden brown. As we sliced into our homemade treat and cut it into bars, it sliced perfectly.
The next part was to taste it! The first bite was amazing, not too sweet but so yummy and delicious. I would highly recommend trying these blueberry bars and adding the recipe to your collection. It is definitely a recipe I will make again!
Last year for our anniversary, my husband and I decided to go on a weekend getaway to Quebec. We selected a lovely place to stay and also treated ourselves to a day at the Nordik Spa in Chelsea. We spent the day enjoying the thermal pools and relaxing in hammocks amidst nature. As a treat, I also booked us each an outdoor massage.
It was amazing and so relaxing. As I spoke with my massage therapist, she strongly advocated for the importance of bringing the relaxation, gratitude, and care of the spa back home to our daily lives. She mentioned little self care things we can do for ourselves, like drinking lots of water and going for a walk in the morning, and she said that if I could listen to music while I walked, even better. Eating a handful of nuts everyday and stretching your body were also additions to a healthy self care practice. Her final advice was a reminder to be kind to myself.
These words, spoken to me over a year ago, were powerful–more powerful than she would ever realize. When I got home from our trip last year I made a note in my phone that I look at every day. I titled it: ‘Cecile says…’ and then I listed all the reminders and suggestions that she gave to me that day.
I have looked at my ‘Cecile Says…’ note every day since last August. It serves as a reminder to check in with myself and it fills me with gratitude when I look at it. I certainly am not about to say that I follow all these suggestions everyday, but I acknowledge that they are there and it gets me back on track.
This past week the stars aligned and I was able to go back to Nordik Spa and yes, I was able to book a massage with Cecile. I shared with her how important her words had been and what an impact they had on my daily life. She was overwhelmed and gave me a big hug. Through our conversation, we also realized that she and I share the same birthday! What are the chances?
Today I am thankful for all the Ceciles in the world!
The sunflower is such an epic flower, so big and beautiful. There are so many varieties of sunflowers available now. Within our local community, farmers have started to plant fields of sunflowers in mazes that they then invite the public to enjoy. These fields provide a great opportunity for people to come and learn all about sunflowers!
I have done the ‘Sunflower Experience’ at Pingle’s Farm Market every summer for the past few years. The tractor ride to the field allows you to see it from a different perspective. It certainly builds the anticipation of its beauty. At this farm they have done such a good job of setting up props for photo ops throughout the sunflower field.
Bees buzz from one flower to another collecting pollen, busy at work. The giant sunflowers tower tall above your head while others are more petite in size. It is incredible to think about each tiny seed growing into this grand flower. Then the middle of each sunflower is filled with hundreds more seeds. These seeds can then be dried and ready to grow next year to start the cycle all over again.
This year we created a pollinator and bee garden in our front lawn. We hand planted about 30 to 40 sunflower seeds of different varieties in the soil. Today, we have one sunflower that survived, and it’s almost ready to bloom. Needless to say the bunnies thought sunflower sprouts were a delicacy and they enjoyed them very much! This gives me a much deeper appreciation for all the hard work involved in growing acres of sunflowers, and being able to provide this wonderful experience.
If you get the opportunity to visit a sunflower field, I strongly recommend it. What could be better than soaking up some sunshine among the sunflowers?
Summer is in full swing and we are now able to enjoy many fruits grown by local farmers. This time of year is amazing because everything tastes so fresh and delicious. I enjoy going to farmer’s markets and fruit stands at the side of the road.
I am usually a creature of habit and like to have the same breakfast every day; however, the last week or so the fresh fruit has been calling me.
With so many choices I decided that making a summer fruit yogurt bowl would be a nice breakfast alternative to my normal bagel.
I started out with a few large spoons of greek yogurt in the bottom of the bowl. I find that greek yogurt has the protein you need to feel full. Next, I cut up a variety of fresh fruit. There are so many combinations that you can experiment with. One of my favourites is strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. Another combination that I enjoy is bananas, blueberries, peaches and yellow plums.
Topping your bowl off with homemade granola or store bought adds the necessary crunch. Adding a final drizzle of local honey or maple syrup adds that touch of sweet.
Will you try this breakfast bowl?
As an Early Childhood Educator, I am always looking for new ideas and innovative methods of presenting educational content. Inquiry-based learning is especially important in our classroom. One of my favourite ways to discover new approaches is by exploring how different communities embrace educational opportunities. Sometimes it’s a library, a park, a garden, or other community spaces, and in this case, a museum.
On a recent visit to the small town where I grew up, I made such a discovery. The local museum, which is housed in a heritage home next-door to what used to be my grandparent’s house, had put together an amazing inquiry filled outdoor space. Under a canopy of oak trees on the museum’s lawn, there were games like ping pong, skee-ball, and giant jenga available to the public for young and old to play. There were also different seating arrangements scattered around, including picnic tables, muskoka chairs, iron butterfly benches, and stumps to sit on. There were people reading books and having picnic lunches while enjoying the shade of the old oak trees that I grew up with.
The space that I found most interesting was the many hands-on opportunities for children. There was water exploration tables, a huge sandbox, a giant bubble maker that you could stand inside of, small world play with sunflower seeds, and many more. The children visiting these stations had huge smiles on their faces as they explored their curiosity and made discoveries.
The centrepiece of the museum’s outdoor space was a community garden. Local varieties of flowers and lots of different vegetables filled the garden beds. As an avid gardener, I found the unique ways they used trellises for the climbing vegetables particularly inspiring. The potting shed had information for the public on tips and tricks for pollinator and native plant gardens as well.
I would love to meet whoever led this incredible community project. The rich content and attention to detail that went into it was admirable. There was also a sign with all the local businesses and volunteers who contributed to make this special project possible. What an amazing attraction to have as part of this small town community! Stay tuned for another post, when I have time to visit the museum inside.
As a family we enjoy going antiquing and looking for treasures. It’s a great way to learn about history from past perspectives. Being able to embrace the simple beauty in found objects is a gift.
Some of our greatest finds have been from antique stores and vintage shops. We love to repurpose old items in our home or refinish old furniture pieces to give them a new life. My husband’s personal love is refurbishing old technology and restoring it to what it once was. I like hunting for things that I can re-use for a different purpose. Some of my most recent ideas were to turn an old metal ladle into a flower vessel, and use vintage buttons to create art.
Our most recent visit was to Legacy Vintage Building Materials in Cobourg, Ontario. This shop was brilliant. Wandering through it almost felt like a museum. They specialize in architectural salvage, vintage doors, hardware, lighting, and home design elements. We wandered throughout the shop, from room to room, upstairs and downstairs. Each type of object was carefully curated and presented, as if they were pieces of art.
The first thing that caught my eye was a box of vintage buttons. The beauty of all the shapes, sizes and textures was incredible. Outside, there were amazing iron panels, rusted from time and weather. Stacks and stacks of wooden shutters of varying sizes and colours lined the walls of the basement. Key hole plates were delicately stamped with intricate patterns. The attention to detail in these pieces was simply beautiful. It was a great opportunity to appreciate fine craftsmanship.
This place is definitely well worth a visit. If you are wanting to add any true vintage pieces to your home or looking for unique and one of a kind items from the past, this is the store for you!
