field of daisies

Last week I went for an evening walk with Scout, only to stumble upon an entire field of daisies. It's neat how the season progresses with different flowers. First blooming trees, the plenty of lilac bushes, followed by wildflowers like the daisies above. Scout was eating them rather than just admiring, so I guess she also approves, lol. I picked a gigantic bunch for our kitchen table which to my surprise has lasted quite well. I'm hoping the field is still blooming when I need a new bunch. Sometimes picking wildflowers or cutting them from your own garden is so much more rewarding than a store-bought bouquet, don't you think?

What's blooming in your city?

from the weekend

Sometimes life can get busy, very busy. So much so, that trying to carve out time to relax is stressful in itself, therefore cancelling out the whole "trying to relax" part (and I don't even have kids!). The last couple of weeks have been busy with work, freelance, party planning, house stuff, pet stuff, and just trying to eat healthy. Oh yeah, and not getting enough sleep. I don't know about you, but sometimes it all morphs into this constant state of stress and worrying about the next thing on the list. This weekend I decided I needed to just chill.

So I spent the majority of Sunday learning to just relax. I read outside in the sunshine, drink in hand, pup running around the yard, casually putting in a load of laundry here and there – not racing to get it all done. Later that evening Rick built a fire and we made baked potatoes right in the coals and cooked sausages over top the grill – talk about slowing down! Two hours later we had the BEST dinner, and wound the night down sitting fireside with s'mores and the sunset, followed by a 10pm bedtime. I feel so much better today and hope I can keep it in the back of my mind to just slow the $#%! down. Ha! 

What about you? Do you have feelings of being rushed all the time? Do you think being online all the time contributes to that feeling (ironic to blog about)? How do you relax?

this month

This month started off with a bang, as we celebrated Rick's 30th birthday this past weekend! I've been planning a surprise since early this year and it was great to finally have it all come together. I threw him a birthday beer bash with all his friends, where they could try all different kinds of beers that I picked up. Sort of like a beer tasting event. It was a huge hit and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves! It's so fun planning big things like this, as it only happened once! I'm happy I was able to get all his friends together to celebrate.

The rest of June will hopefully be pretty low-key... summer BBQ and strawberry-vanilla twist cones, visiting with friends and getting out in the sunshine! Scout also finishes up Grade 1 of her training this month... complete with a graduation, lol. I'm looking forward to seeing how she progresses in Grade 2. We're also thinking of taking her for their 'Agility Fun Day'. Have you ever done that with your dog before? It's a series of jumps, ramps, and tubes they run and play through, the idea being as quick and correct as they can I believe. I feel like Scout would love it, considering her daily prancing around the backyard like a deer. We'll see how it goes, as Agility is the very last course of training that we can put her in for fun.

Hope your June is off to a great start though! Any plans for the Summer?

puppy update

Scout is officially 6 months today and already gigantic! I swear each time I come home she's a little bit bigger. She's adorably sweet though, calm one minute and then crazy excited the next. I love that she can look really proud and totally goofy all at once. Needless to say, we've been pretty busy with her lately!

I keep having to remind myself she's just a puppy, but for such a young age she's actually pretty well-behaved. Training is going well, and she's gradually learning more and more. Her ears are still being taped up, but standing a little bit longer in between each taping. Hopefully we only have till the end of the Summer (and can stop answering the question, "What happened to her ears?!" from random passer-byers).

She loves running around the backyard, chewing on dandelion leaves, squeaky toys, and her deer antler. She does not love dogs on tv, itchy ear tape, going out in the rain, and not being able to sit right directly on top of you during car rides.

For weeks i've been searching for doggy bone cookie cutters to make Scout some homemade treats, and lucky for me, a co-worker of mine was nice enough to pick up these two after spotting them at Bulk Barn of all places. I can't wait to try a couple recipes from this book, which I'm sure Scout will gobble up. It's kind of fun baking your own and skipping all the bad stuff that can come in store-bought treats (just like with any junk food I suppose).

And yes, I know what you're thinking, she's pretty much spoiled around here. Such a cutie.

start of summer

Victoria Day weekend always seem to be the unofficial start of Summer here in Canada, and with the amazing weather that accompanied this past weekend, i'd say Summer is definitely here! There was a bit of a cold afternoon on Saturday, but Sunday and Monday were gorgeous out with the sun shining down. We had a busy weekend with friends, family and a lot of outdoor activity. We had few fires, made s'mores, ate bbq and ice cream treats, celebrated a birthday, and took the puppy for training and a long trail walk. All in all, we ticked of all the typical long weekend adventures... if only every Summer weekend was a 3-day affair.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

decorating

Remember my post on plant life? I finally found two little succulents I really love to decorate our shelving unit in the livingroom. This weekend I hope to also print some wedding photos to frame, and pick up a few little decorative items from the antique store. I'll have to share some pictures once we finally have that piece all spruced up. It's starting to look a little more lived in! It's really a process though, decorating your home, no?

Photos: My own.

the garden centre + a winner

This past weekend Rick and I took another trip to our local garden centre – a place i'm sure we'll be visiting often in the future. I love it there. So many plants and trees to look at, it's row upon row of endless inspiration and colour. So far, we've planted 10 trees in our backyard... 8 cedars for privacy, a sunset maple, and a yellow butterflies magnolia. I am so excited for the maple to turn a fiery shade of red this fall, and then to witness the yellow magnolia blooming next spring. We also have one more on the way... a crab apple tree with bright pink blooms just starting to blossom. I can't explain what it is about blooming trees in the spring, but each time I pass one it makes my heart just swell... they are just. so. beautiful. As "Tony" from the garden centre said, "It's like nature's smile after the winter season." It really is though, isn't it? If we had unlimited funds, our backyard would be full by now, but I guess we should pace ourselves, lol. (Next year, I'd love to do this...)

Also, speaking of gardens and greenery... we have a winner for the Pure Green Magazine giveaway! Congrats to Milynn of {Love + Whimsy}! I'll be emailing you soon. And thanks again to Pure Green Mag!

Photos: My own of the Cambridge Garden Centre

in celebration

Even though it's a cold, wet day out there today, my Mother and I are headed to high tea to celebrate Mother's Day! It's at a new local tearoom we can't wait to try out. Wishing her and all the Mothers and Moms-to-be a very Happy Mother's Day today!

pure green mag giveaway

If you ask any of those close to me, they'd definitely tell you I'm a little bit magazine obsessed. My Dad and Rick have one too many times moved heavy boxes of my collection to each new apartment, and most recently, our home together. In highschool, my over-the-bed bench was sagging in the middle underneath the weight of ELLE and Vogue. My tastes in magazines have changed over the years, depending on what's going on in my life (I just recently subscribed to Modern Dog, fun!), but what remains the same is a love for truly gorgeous editorial design. Unfortunately though, there's only so much room for an avid collector to keep all these magazines, and more and more lately i've been thinking of purchasing an iPad just for this reason.

So many print versions are now going digital, still keeping in alignment with high design standards creating gorgeous layouts, with the addition of digital-only features (bonus!). I will always buy those special issues I particularly love in print, but I think it might be about time I invest in an iPad for some of my beloved subscriptions!

One of those beauties is Pure Green Magazine – a feast for the eyes in print, but now also on their brand new standalone iPad app! Volume 5, entitled Wanderlust, is now out and the iPad version is retina ready and full of bonus features including enlargeable images, downloadable recipe cards, and bonus image galleries. The latest issue includes:

• A visit to the great white south.
• The Last Great Wilderness of Antarctica.
• A hike through the mountain passes of Colorado.
• A charming and leisurely walking tour of Paris.
• A visit to Puglia.
• A trip to Guyana in the Organic Kitchen.
• A road trip across Europe in a camper van.
• A welcoming stay in a traditional bed and breakfast set in the English countryside.

I don't know about you, but they had me at "Paris".

Pure Green Magazine with kind enough to offer a promo code for one lucky reader to try out the new iPad app! Just enter in the comments below, leaving your name and email address, and one random winner will be picked next Monday, May 13th. Good luck, and thanks Pure Green Mag!

sunday evening

Sunshine and gardening.
Blooming magnolias.
Road trips and ice cream stops.
A birthday get together and plenty of puppy walks.

Such a great weekend. Hope yours was too!

Photo: Neighbourhood lookout over our city.