Quinn and I celebrate 1 Year

Hello Ladies! 

Quinn ad I went back to the wall when we were home for a quick weekend trip at the beginning of November. We had to go back to the wall for this photo! 

Quinn and I celebrated our First Anniversary a couple weeks ago. As we all know Quinn is excellent at surprises and it was no different for our anniversary. Quinn and I were driving in Vancouver heading South, I started wondering where we were going. We were approaching the boarder and Quinn handed me a folder of paper reservations for SEATTLE! So excited just to get away for the night! 



Quinn and I decided that every year we are going to stick to the traditional anniversary themed gift according to that tear. For example 1st Paper, 2nd Cotton, 3rd Leather… you get the point.  I ended up salvaging our vows all crinkled and torn, and framed them in a frame. This is Quinn in our Fancy Hotel in Seattle holding up his gift.

The hotel room Quinn and I stayed in was in the heart of Downtown Seattle, it was beautiful. I felt quite fancy and underdressed to be honest! Our bed was the size of our living room at home!
















That day we went to the Boeing Museum of flight, Quinn was so thrilled to be up and personal with those planes and rockets. This is quinn with a NASA spacesuit.

Quinn and I then went for a walk around Seattle that evening../ keep in mind it was American Thanksgiving weekend. There were lots of families out and about celebrating. People were asking us how our holiday was and we were like GREAT… little do they know we're celebrating for a different reason, our anniversary! 

We went and walked around by the Spaceneedle and we went for supper at a sports restaurant at the base of the space needle. 

The next morning, Quinn and I went for a walk to "find" a place to eat breaky, I should know better, of course Quinn has a plan. He wouldn't leave our first anniversary up to chance and wind up someplace with the risk of it being bad. We ended up having brunch at the top of the space needle on the clearest of days! It was a great Morning spent with my husband of one year! Quinn said the SPACE NEEDLE was very fitting seeing as he's the aerospace engineer and I'm nurse (who deals with needles)! 

This is Quinn and I at the top of the space needle. I'm holding up my finger to symbolize 1 YEAR!! 

We had a great time and we will be celebrating 74 more years of anniversaries in the future :) 

Hope you girls are doing well! Getting all excited for Christmas? I certainly am, it's going to be a great Christmas this year! Looking forward to ringing on the new year at Oma's Barn this year. It's going to be a great Colyn New Years as always. 

Love you all! XO

Happy Halloween

 Good day my ladies,

Miss you all! Martin and I are well. Resident life is pretty daunting, but we try to do fun things when there's spare time, even when someone is exhausted - he's a trooper, I'll keep him ;) We took a trip to the pumpkin patch last week and it was a beautiful fall day. The one thing about Rochester is that even though it's cold it is sunny all the time, we are very grateful for that! 

 As you know I was awaiting results of my american board exam and I PASSED. It was a nervous feeling opening up that letter, almost vomited I swear. So now I'm just awaiting to get my official licensing certificate in the mail and I can practice, legally! Yesterday I set out on the resume trail and 27 offices later the people of Rochester better know me! haha. Now to sit by the phone and wait....!

 

We talked about sharing our current projects, so here's mine. I'm nearly done the center white and then back to repeating the stripes. Its going to be massive, very excited to have it forever! I haven't really got to keep any of my projects yet so it is very thrilling!

I'm not a huge 'mirror selfie' girl, but I was pleased with my fall resume trail outfit and I had to share. Also I'm very happy with the length my hair is getting, don't let me cut it. I told Martin the other day after a wedding people usually cut their hair, I said maybe I'll be a rebel and get bangs, BUT don't let me cut it! Insert his eye roll here. None the less, I'm rambling now. But share your layered looks for fall too alone with your projects. Well maybe not Micah, she's past fall! :)

Love you ladies hope all is well XOXO,

<3 K

Thanksgiving at Camp Tulahead

I can't believe it's already been a week since we went up to Princeton. It was so lovely! We did lots of exploring, including hiking the trail up the mountain behind the camp. The trail used to be calling Twin Pines, until last winter when one of the trees fell down, now it's referred to as Lonely Pine. The trail was similar to the Grouse Grind, but only about a quarter of the length, and ended at a rock that jetted out from the mountainside. Corey and his Dad did some fishing - but didn't catch anything big enough to keep. I built the best campfire of my life! On which we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for s'mores.

Of course, the whole weekend involved a lot of eating!

Here's a little glimpse into where we spent our weekend.

camper's cabins / the lake - tail end of MacKenzie Lake

 Corey in his natural habitat

bird's eye view of the camp

 we actually remembered to take a photo together! (we are horrible at that)

 soaking up the beauty of fall

 the main camp area - fire pit/stage to the left, mess hall to the right / cabin textures

the barn which used to house horses and chickens / the tulahead sign

the rock at the top of the mountain is where we hiked to

After spending the weekend here Corey is in full mountain man mode. He brought he fishing rod back with him and is currently up in Squamish fishing, hoping to bring back some trout. I guess I'll have to figure out how to cook that… Any tips?

Our other plans for this weekend include exploring Westham Island, which is just off of Delta - joined by an old wooden single lane bridge. There are a few farms out there, a winery and about half the island is a protected wildlife area for migrating birds.

Hope you're all doing amazingly well!

Sending tons of love!

Xo, A

Some knitting patterns to share...

Hello,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great week. It's Saturday again, and it's fall, which means that Jon is out hunting and I am home baking bread, knitting, reading, and cleaning house. I love these days!

I was perusing Pinterest when I came across this blog - a couple of knitters/designers from Vancouver & Vancouver Island. I thought that their simple collection would be fun to share with you: 8 free patterns from socks to sweaters. I think I'm going to try the Harvest cardigan myself. Check out the rest of their patterns - they're gorgeous and inspired by the place we all call home.

I'm off to finish my bread, and then make a lasagna. Alysia, I'm thinking your ricotta recipe will go well with it - mmm!

Love to you all. Sending hugs and "I miss you's" to wherever you may be.

xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Ladies!

Just a quick note before I head to work, to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you get to relax and spend time with the ones you love this weekend. I am so thankful to have you wonderful ladies in my life!

We're spending the long weekend in Princeton with Corey's family. I'll tell you all about it when we get back. Corey is so excited for fishing, canoeing, hiking, and of course to see his parents.

Thought I'd share my latest project (I needed a break from blankets!), and the extent of fall decor in my house at the moment. I picked up these little pumpkins when we were grocery shopping last week. I couldn't resist them! I also whipped up this little cozy for my mason jar mug - it's probably the most hipster thing I own, but I love it! This is the first time I tried crocheting with two strands of yarn, it was a little odd in the beginning, but it turned out great!

Can't wait to hear about how you spent Thanksgiving, and see what projects you're working on.

Love you all! 

Xo, A

Yoga pants, tea, studying........GILMORE GIRLS?!?

Good day my ladies,

Thought I'd share a little fact that just warmed my heart and made me think of you! But a little background first. I've been in this house now for way more hours in the day then I would like in the last few weeks. Struggling with the notion that I have to repeat my boards in order to get licensed as a hygienist in this fine country. Canadians aren't good enough evidently. Anyhow, my day consists of me time for an hour in the morning : coffee, orange juice and fiber cereal. Then is proceeded by the don of lulus and hoody, followed shortly by the haunting review textbook that lives on my coffee table...... I've reached the point where the silence is killing me so I've been resorting to streaming a show on project tv; gilmore girls. It is the perfect background show. However streaming is ridiculous with waiting for it to load etc. To my delight today I came across a revelation, October was to not only bring fall but to release 7 seasons of GG on Netflix. Now I apologize if this was not the case in your fellow countries but it certainly brightened my day!  A small victory in the scale of life but I knew you girls would appreciate it with me. Alright, thanks for a nice break! 

Oh, Martin is doing well, he has diabetes this week. He's doing an endocrine rotation and has to go through this fake trial to gain empathy for his patients. It's been very interesting, giving saline injections in place of insulin, checking sugars etc. 

My parents are coming for a week next week and we are going wedding dress shopping-with intent to purchase! Trying to beat out these few choices (below) from Rochester! Will keep you all posted! 

Thanks ladies for this outlet to procrastinate with! Love you miss you all so much, we should arrange a day to skype/facetime etc all together. It might be really laggy but it would be hilarious! Bye for now! xoxox

Kristine :)

Booties for littles.

Made these booties for a little who just arrived in the world. 

They're so teeny.

If you're looking for a quick + simple gift, this is a fun pattern.

Happy

Kristine!  Your day came and went and I missed it! So sorry:( I hope you had a fantastic day!!

I LOVE the save the date! That's all of us almost married! No pressure hey...

Hard to believe us all with the loves of our lives! We are the lucky ones! So happy!

No funny stories. Unless you missed William asking me if a man in the grocery store was God because he looked like Morgan Freeman! I couldn't even make that up if I wanted to!  
William does tell me to relax an awful lot! Mom relax! I can just do it! We tend to argue a bit....he is just like Aaron...so at three he brings the best out in me.

Lucas is talking so much too! His favourite is dropping food off the high chair and saying uh oh! He thinks he's so clever! I just think a WHAT A MESS!

Looking forward to Mom and Dad coming in just over a month!  I'm looking forward to cooking with out doing dishes. Our deal is I cook she cleans! When else will she get homemade pasta !!? And of course sleeping in while they take the kids to the park! God bless grandparents;)

September...

I am so thankful for chilly nights + mornings, for being able to snuggle under the blankets again, for the need for a sweater after 7:00 p.m., for searching for slippers before my feet hit the tile floors in the morning, for actually needing a cuppa tea to warm me up, for the sound of crunching leaves, for ornamental guords, and for the knowledge that *pumpkin everything* is just around the corner. 

Hope the early fall is treating you all well. Micah, I guess we wish you a happy Spring, instead. 

Here are a few snapshots of things we are enjoying this September.

Peppers --> salsa today :)

Hunting season is just around the corner. Tolmie & I are gearing up.

My foot continues to heal up, so I've started exploring some of the great hikes around CR.
Ripple Rock rewarded us with incredible views!

Okay, we caved and the pup gets one couch on which to snuggle.
How could I resist this?

Happy Saturday, my friends. xoxo

Happy Birthday Kristine!

Kristine, you are spirited, wonderfully witty, and always there when I need you.

Wish I was there to pop a bottle of champagne with you!

Cheers to 25, hope this year is all you wish for and more!

Xo, A

Summer/Fall Transition & Reading

Hi ladies!

Just a quick update...

We had a great trip to Minnesota, as I'm sure you saw from the photos. Here are the highlights - humidity, dress shopping, fireflies, Cultivate Festival, football, turkey dinner, lightning storm, laser tag, beer & wine, 4+ hours of karaoke, Mall of America, Minnesota State Fair, every food imaginable fried and/or on a stick, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park, but most importantly Kristine & Martin. We can not wait for our next Midwest adventure!

I re-discovered how much I enjoy reading. I know that may sound odd, but I really didn't remember how wonderful it was to get lost in a story. I have never been a particularly quick reader, which may be part of the reason why I stopped reading in my spare time. But at the beginning of the summer I started the last book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series - Sisterhood Everlasting. It takes place 10 years after the 4th book, when the girls are nearly 30. I have always loved the story - it reminds me of you girls. "She existed in her friends, all the parts of herself she'd forgotten, she knew herself best when she was with them." This book was familiar, surprising, heartbreaking and complete. If any of you enjoyed the Sisterhood books I would recommend it. Then on the plane to Minnesota I jumped into The Fault in Our Stars...AMAZING! I found myself laughing out loud, and crying all within the same page. I read it during our flight there and flight home, completely enveloped in the story, I didn't want the flight to end! A week later and I'm still upset that it's over. Is it weird to mourn a book? Anyways, now I've started Gone Girl, which Michelle lent me, and finished reading in the airport with an "Oh." I don't know what to think of that response. I'm not sure what I'm in for with this one, I'll let you know.

When we returned to Vancouver you could really feel summer ending. I feel like I've never experienced that shift before - the air felt different, the light seemed different. With that being said, I am loving it! Fall is by far my favourite season, and I am so looking forward to the cool breezes, crunchy leaves, apple baked goods and slow cooked soups!

Miss you all. Sending love.
Xo, A

Well it's happening! Wanted to give as much notice as possible! Very exciting :)

I feel like I could break out into a dashboard song at any moment - summertime

I have loved reading your summer posts! I am missing all things summer. It is funny what I took for granted as a kid...free Black berries for starters. I keep seeing everyone posting their jams and I went to the shops to just get a few as a treat ....7$!!! Nearly 75 cents a berry! Umm no thanks! They do come frozen. I guess I could make a crumble.  I would have I lower my expectations though. But I think I just might! 

An update on us 

William has stopped napping in the day! I am mourning the lose of day time sleep, but enjoying him as he grows and matures into a little man. 

We got the call today that he got a place in child care two days a week. Also very bitter sweet for me. I will miss him so much those days. But it is much needed for my own sanity. And it also gives me quality time with Lucas. Whom has started walking! And talking! His favourite word.... Boobies! Not even joking! I can't even come out of the shower or get changes with out him getting excited! He even tried to pull my shirt down to get to them! He loves to feed! Lol hopefully he starts to wean himself soon. I have no idea how I'll pull him away otherwise! 

Aaron and I are going well too! Day in day out stuff. 

I can not wait for my parents to arrive at the end of October. So if you want to send anything that's your chance!

Miss you all so much! I loved your holiday pics on Facebook. It looks like you had such a great time and so jealous. I want a turkey dinner now!!! 

Enjoy the end if summer as we wait for it to start here 🌻☀️

My life this summer in photos

Hello, I promised I would update pictures once my COMPUTER (not commuter) started acting normal! 

Quinn and I went to the Abbotsford Airshow On August 9. It was so cool to see these planes fly so close. It was a great show to see! Quinn was like a kid in a candy store! 

Emma came to visit Quinn and I last weekend. Emma and I went to the seattle outlets on Friday and then on Saturday we did the Grouse Grind! Quinn and I have done this before with Krisitne but Emma hadn't done it before and always wanted to. 

Quinn: 59 minutes

                                                      Emma: 1 hour 15 minutes

                                                     Aalysia: 1 hour 8 minutes

I was so proud of Emma when she reached the top because 1 hour and 15 minutes is an AMAZING first time grind! 

While we were up the mountain we saw a grizzly bear. He peeked out among the fog and was so close we could touch him! He was so sweet! 

I am off this next week to go to the Island camping, i'm sure i'll have some more pictures when I return 

Love you ALL XO

I am so sorry I seem to have checked out for a bit… but i'm BACK!

Hello loves! 

I have been super busy with work and all that goes on living in Vancouver. I am missing everyone so much. Quinn and I are doing well, we are just burying our heads with work and trying to get everything done for Thursday at 3PM, because then, WE ARE ON HOLIDAYS! 

Quinn and I will be on the island (camping for the majority of it) at Rathtrevor beach for Colyn camp and then going to Stamp Falls for a couple nights. We are so grateful to get to go home and spend time with our families who we miss so much! 

I wanted to upload some pictures but my commuter is having conniptions…. I will update soon! 

Kristine and Alysia have so much fun together in minni, I'm of so very jealous, but very happy for you both! 

Ella I will see you in 2 DAYS!!! 

Micah, we should FaceTime in the next couple days if possible because i miss you terribly! 

LOVE YOU ALL!  

Summer Rain

This morning I woke up to the sound of the pouring rain.

And I had an overwhelming desire to jump off Micah's Oma & Opa's dock, into the lake, with the rain beating down.

Then I had an overwhelming craving for a long chat over a warm cup of tea with the four of you.

I guess I'll have to settle for the tea.

Sending love.

Xo, A

Pistachio, Orange & Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Just a quick note to tell all of you how important it is you try this recipe! Joy describes them as "bonkers awesome" and she's totally right, as usual! Our apartment smelled amazing for a full 24 hours after baking them!

Yeast and I are just starting to become friends. I've had some very disappointing experiences, but I think my luck is changing. These rose perfectly - I was so thrilled! The combo of orange & chocolate has to be one of my favourites. And why wouldn't you throw some pistachios in?

Oh, and this recipe is a collaboration between Joy and The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) - a fellow butter enthusiast!

I forgot to take a photo before we started to devour them - so I'll have to borrow Joy's.

My only tip would be to used shaved chocolate. I had mini dark chocolate chips and figured it would be fine, but they didn't melt as much as I was hoping they would. So I ended up with chocolate dotted rolls - which was fine, but a more even distribution would have been better. Also, the recipe makes 16 rolls - I thought that was a bit much for just the two of us (even though we totally could have eaten them all, no question!) - so I halved the recipe to make a more respectable 8 rolls.

PS.
Corey bought me Joy's cookbook for part of my anniversary gift.
But wait, there's more.
He told me after I opened it that he emailed Joy and asked her what her favourite/most inspiring cookbooks are. He was planning on buying me a library of cookbooks based on her recommendations. Unfortunately, she didn't get back to him - yet. But it's the thought that counts, right? I'll keep you posted if he gets a response.

Xo, A

Summer, So Far

Hi Ladies!

So July has been pretty busy, despite my hopes of our lives slowing down a bit.

There is a new addition to our lives...

After nearly a year and a half of transit, car2go, and begging people for rides, we finally bought another car. She's a 2001 Honda Civic. Nothing fancy, but we like her. We're so excited to have our freedom back!

The 8th marked our 8th anniversary! We didn't really do much to celebrate, just went out to dinner. We usually always take the day off to spend together, but this year we both worked. So we decided to celebrate the following weekend with a picnic on Bowen Island. We ended up heading to Tunstall Bay, and had the beach all to ourselves! This was our beautiful view...

I took a break from working on my granny squares to try my hand at tapestry crochet - a style of crochet used to create designs & patterns of multiple colours. Well, I tried and it was really hard! I think its something that I really need to sit down and concentrate on, until I get the hang of it. Then I found this dishcloth tutorial, and tried it out while we watched a movie last night. It was super easy, and despite it being a bit rough around the edges, I think it turned out well. Ella and I can go into business together selling market totes & dishcloths at farmers markets!

It's supposed to look like chevron - I think you need to squint a bit.

I'll have to try it with more contrasting colours to get the pattern to pop more.

I have the next few days off, and I have a long list of things I'm hoping to get done - crafts, recipes, cleaning & organizing. On the top of my list,  Joy's Pistachio Orange Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Buns! I'll let you know how it goes.

Sending love to all of you!

Xo A

This week...

Happy weekend, friends! I so look forward to quieter Saturday mornings with my cuppa tea and a chance to catch up on your happenings - very thankful!

It's been a (HOT) good week up here: full of beach field trips with the kiddos, evenings on the patio, and lots of BBQing. :) Oh, and I made green tea icecream using our ladies' eggs - so refreshing!

Last weekend we celebrated our friends' wedding. We had a lot of fun and it was so exciting to see them tie the knot. Jon was a groomsman and I did the flowers. We danced all night!

 

We are up to 6 eggs every day from our chickens now. The smallest bird has just started laying and this morning I found this under her in the coop...

Don't know if you can spot the size difference, but Brave's egg is on the left. She's just learning...

Tolmie got a treat for breakfast since the egg was not much larger than a quail's.

That's all for today. I'm off to watch a little Downton Abbey, while I work on my advent calendar for Christmas. I decided to break from knitting for a bit [before I get to work on my market bag

orders ;)], so I've pulled out some cross-stitching.

What crafts are you working on?

 Enjoy your weekend, everyone. xoxo

Nap time

Hello beautiful ladies!
Let me start off by saying I am missing you so much!
I made Joys strawberry and cream scones but I have a little person wanting to help so the didn't look as perfect as I would have hoped and with a comment from Joy herself I didn't dare share the picture ;) but let's just say they tasted delishious! I love scones!

William is seriously getting so big! I look at him and I think he has grown over night! I have started talking to him about how no one is allowed to touch his private parts not really knowig if he understands.  Well! Yesterday Aaron and him are laying on the couch together and he started to scratch himself.  And Aaron said hands off. And with out a second of hesitation he replies Mom said no one is allowed to touch my peepee, only Me! I think we all just were like how on earth do we explain this one to him!  Lord helps us all when he asks how babies are made!;)

Lucas oh my sweet Lucas is going to be 1 next week! That year has gone so fast! And yet I have never been so tired I am trying to love every second and napping when ever I possibly can.  I fell asleep on the couch while the kids played on the floor the other days. I woke to Will asking if I was alright?!  Great Job Mom! Lol

But all in all we are going so good! It is so cold and 35 at home. But before I know it it will be summer again and we will be so hot and sweaty. I should clairify. I think at night it may get below 10 but just barley.  And the days are about 20.  True Canadian here lol


Miss you all heaps. Looking forward to hearing all about everything! Xoxo

Happy Birthday Micah!

Micah, you are honest, adventurous, and a devoted mother & friend.

Wishing you an amazing 25th birthday - officially in Australia & Canada.

Hoping your boys spoiled you, and this year brings you great things.

Xo, A

Happy Birthday!

Lovely friend! What can I say, we all miss you tons! Hope your boys spoiled you and 25 is amazing to you! We will be rocking our pearls only into the next 25 too I'm sure! #classyladies 

Love, Kristine :)

SO thankful for Saturdays.

I am so thankful for Saturdays - when I have a moment to sit and read the blog and to catch up on life. I'm especially thankful that this weekend is a LONG weekend! :)

Happy Birthday to two of the loveliest ladies I know - Aalysia & Micah. I am beyond grateful for having you two in my life, both as friends and family. Can't believe it's 25 this year! I hope you are both spoiled immensely by those who love you.

This month has been crazy for me. The teacher's strike has caused a lot of crazy in our centre with juggling classrooms and changing children around, and yesterday marked the last day of that - hooray! On Wednesday, I start in my new classroom for the year. So it's been a week of long hours, organizing, sorting, cleaning, and rearranging while I get ready for the kiddos. :)




Things around the house have slowed a little bit, since we've finished the majority of our "big" yard projects. This month we did a few things: planted flowers, finished building the chicken coop + run, tore down the old playhouse and lay sod, and purchased a small patio set of kijiji for when you all come for tea. :) 

 

The ladies love the home Jon built for them. We're still patiently waiting on our first egg.

It's so fun to be greeted by six hungry birdies every morning. Plus it's extremely entertaining to listen to them chat all day.

 

We finally got a chance to sit and enjoy the patio this past weekend and it was lovely. All the flowers are loving the sunshine, and we love having a place to enjoy at the end of the day. 

 

The back corner of the yard was where the playhouse once stood. Now it's another big chunk of lawn for Tolmie to run around on. 

All of these projects have left us very tired, but we are loving having a place to call our own that shows our hands all over it. I am very thankful for a handy hubby that loves to put on his Carharrt's and work hard. :)

 

Another small victory since my surgery (1 1/2 years ago - what?!)... I finally got some new sandals with custom orthotics! :) Now I can walk around at least somewhat fashionable. Let's face it: runners + skirts don't exactly work.

I gave myself a pedicure to celebrate the occasion.


A final note: this afternoon we drive to Nanaimo to pick up Josefine & Anders - my friends from Denmark. They're on their way to Canada for a visit! It's always hard to believe that Facetime conversations will cease for a little while and face-to-face ones take over. Tomorrow we're taking a hike and Monday we're heading out EARLY for a fishing charter. Hope we limit out!




Enjoy your weekends, my friends.
Kristine & Martin - I hope you're still celebrating Canada Day even in Minnesota.
Micah, same to you all the way in Australia.