welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.

i'm just now returning from my cottage vacation - and am spending the week with my lovely friend Mary to prep jewelry for her wedding (from Thackeray's Vanity), and then her bridal shower on the sunday.
i'll leave you with one of my favourite cottage songs.... from one of my fav bands ever.
I left your house this morning about a quarter after nine | coulda been the Willie Nelson coulda been the wine | when I left your house this morning | it was a little after nine | it was in Bobcaygeon I saw the constellations | reveal themselves one star at a time | Drove back to town this morning with working on my mind | I thought of maybe quitting | thought of leaving it behind | went back to bed this morning | and as I'm pulling down the blind | the sky was dull and hypothetical | and falling one cloud at a time | That night in Toronto with its checkerboard floors | riding on horseback and keeping order restored | til the men they couldn't hang | stepped to the mic and sang | and their voices rang with that Aryan twang | I got to your house this morning just a little after nine | in the middle of that riot | couldn't get you off my mind | so I'm at your house this morning | just a little after nine | cause it was in Bobcaygeon where I saw the constellations | reveal themselves one star at a time
hope everyone has had a fantastic week - i'll be back Monday!

things that are awesome..... #430 Eating ridiculous things for breakfast

Cold pizza is just the beginning.
Now, make no mistake here: breakfast has a lot going for it already. Yeah, we’re talking fresh brewed coffee, sizzling bacon, and hot, fluffy pancakes. Nothing wrong with waking up groggy and heating up the dirty frying pan, flipping down the toaster, or getting that coffee machine dripping. But there’s also something sinful about eating things that have no business being in your mouth before noon:
• Cake. What’s up, last night’s birthday? We were all stuffed when the flaming sugar slab got wheeled up so most people didn’t eat much. Thank goodness someone put it back in the fridge because now it’s time to kickstart the day with a couple icing flowers. Goes great with ice cream.


my favourite guilty pleasure breakfast food
OMG bakery vegan cupcakes... blue icing preferably.
 • Coke. It’s deliciously sinful pouring a tall glass of the brown fizzy at 8:00am. Don’t even try to justify it, either. We understand, friend. We’ve been there too.
• Mix and Match. This is where you stare into your fridge for five minutes and realize you don’t have any good breakfast stuff kicking around. Now it’s time to grab a couple pickles, spoonful of peanut butter, and some slices of bologna before putting the backpack on and running to the bus.
• Regular breakfast food with a key ingredient missing. When we were little my sister Nina got sick and couldn’t eat dairy for a while so she subbed apple juice on her Cheerios. Sure, maybe it’s disgusting, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. If you’ve ever smeared strawberry jam on your pancakes or eaten a plate of eggs with a handful of Ritz crackers, then you know what we’re talking about.
• Breakfast Barbecue. Flip on the gas and get grilling. You can try whipping up bacon or eggs out there if you want to keep the classics, but frankly, if you’re ever gonna do dogs and wieners, now’s the time. Great for camping or cottages.
• Leftover takeout. Open up your fridge and get ready for that surprise Styrofoam wake up call. Nothing like some snow peas and cross-cut carrots soaking in an ice-cold bath of soy sauce to get the day started with a salty jolt.
Now, morning is generally time for slow movements and soft tastes. Most of us baby our tongues with oatmeal muffins, scrambled eggs, or some butter on toast. But that’s why it’s fun eating ridiculous things for breakfast once in a while. You’re drawing outside the lines, ripping up the rules, and adding adventure to your morning.
Bring on the day.
AWESOME!

my weekend in summary

the cutest baby you've ever seen - my (quasi) niece; walking and laughing with auntie jamie; my friend walked in, and had to take this picture.... apparently she just stared at me the entire time; hand and foot print arts and crafts with the babe before i left sunday; grey nail polish from my amazing friend who knew i was dying to find the right kind! all the way from switzerland...
Friday: I left work late, and headed out for a drink – I then rushed home and battled traffic to get to Hamilton on time, to meet up with chantel for instructions to babysit. Ryan and I stayed up watching the baseball highlights, and then headed to bed. They had an early morning the next morning, and I had a long day ahead as well!
Saturday: we were up early with the baby at 7am – nothing like waking up to a baby’s smiling face. I spent the remainder of the day with the babe – going for walks, sleeping, eating, diaper changing, story reading, playing with our hands with songs. We visited the wedding that chantel and ryan were in, as ryan’s sister (the bride) wanted some photos with the baby. I ended up in bed by midnight, once the baby was down, and I had prepared bottles for the next day.
Sunday: I woke up with the baby, so that chantel and ryan could sleep in. we played a bit, and once chantel and ryan woke up, we hung out, watched tv, and lounged around. It was lovely. After doing some foot/handprint art, I left to head back to Toronto, to meet up with my lovely friend steph. This friend is a world traveler, and a woman whose lifestyle and personality resonates so loudly in my heart (full ‘I have a friend’ post on her to come). Through a series of miscommunications, we finally met up, after a year and a half apart. I always feel like we’re talking a mile a minute, because our time together never seems to be enough. We met, went to sadies for chocolate peanut butter banana milkshakes (vegan, of course), and talked, and talked. She mentioned she had to be to the GO train to get to Mississauga to meet another friend, and I figured – more time, if I drove her to Mississauga! We went, I dropped her off, and gave her a hug – not knowing when I would see her next. I then drove home, windows down, music blasting, as the weather was incredible. I sat on my front porch in the sun with my computer listening to new bon iver, and catching up on blogs and writing. I then did some cleaning, and went to bed early.
*I also found out this weekend that my phone sucks. Hard. It’s broken, and I need to somehow get a new one. FML.
Hope everyone enjoyed the sun this weekend, and spent it with friends/family – and laughed. LOTS! I got to laugh my face off with a little 4.5 month old – I’m a lucky gal.

the right kind of love.

"... in love the way all men were in love with the made-up women in their minds: those women who never get a chance to come down into the streets and walk around real because once they were real, like minna, they threw you off balance and blew you away. a boy like col could be in love with such a woman, because he never had to contend with her needs. he only had to watch and listen and pay attention and pour the wine. and col could do this by the hour."
stones, timothy findley