To The Sisters, Brothers & Friends Who Don't Have Kids Yet

To the sisters, brothers and friends who don't have kids yet but still want to hang, THANK YOU! You are important, a life line and while we may not say it as often as we should, we could not do parenthood without you.

Thank you for:

the visits even though our conversations are broken

loving my children even though their noses are running and my baby cries when you hold her

bringing me coffee and food

meeting me at the park so my child can play while we try to catch up

not judging my messy house

holding my baby while I throw in a load of laundry

being patient with me when I need to cancel because someone is sick

just being an extra set of hands and eyes

for caring enough to ask me questions about my kids

I love you so much and if you decide to have children of your own one day, I will be the first one to bring you food and clean your house, when you bring your babies home.

xoxo
Audrey

My Baking List

I love to bake and eat sweets and these are the recipes I have been working on or will be tackling this holiday season. I have been trying to get Luke in the "mix" and have him help me as much as possible, things normally get really messy but we are having fun. I am freezing most of what I am baking and then during the week of Christmas we will pull everything out, make up some mix plates and deliver them to friends and family.

Here is what I am working on:

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Balls

This was my first time making this recipe. I tasted the cream cheese mixture before rolling the balls and decided I wanted my cheesecake a little sweeter so I added 1/2 a cup of brown sugar. Other than that, the recipe was delicious and easy to make.

Shortbread

It was my first time making shortbread as well but I was pretty pleased as to how this recipe turned out. I like my cookies on the soft side so I did not wait for them to turn brown at the edges and they were nice and moist.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I baked these cookies with Emily and Sara and Emily found this recipe. She is not a cookie person but she loved these and said they really were the best chocolate chip cookies she had ever had.

Sugar Cookies With Royal Icing

I made these cookies last year during our Baking Day, the cookies and icing were delicious so I plan on making them this week. My designs did not turn out as beautiful as the ones in the post but I did my best!

Oreo Truffles

This has become one of my go to sweets recipes because it is so easy and is always a hit at family gatherings. Again, mine do not always look as beautiful but once you take a bite, you don't mind what they look like. Sometimes I coat all of mine with regular chocolate and drizzle with white if I am feeling fancy.

I would love to know what your favourite baking recipes are?

Family Recipes

This year my sister Emily and I pickled for the first time. We recently popped the top on our pickles and are happily surprised at how well they turned out! I plan on giving some of my pickles away as Christmas gifts or hostess gifts this year but my pickle loving sister may keep hers all to herself :) (she has been obsessed with dill pickles since she was little).  

The recipe we used was from a friends mom, I am so grateful she shared her family recipe with me because I think it will now become a staple recipe in my family cook book too. Its really comforting for me to cook, bake or can with a recipe that has become a tradition in someones family. I like thinking about all of the memories that are wrapped up in that recipe, creating the dish and sharing it with others. 

I love to cook food because I love eating it but most of all I love how it brings people together and allows us to create memories. It is at the centre of almost all holidays and special events and I plan on making it a big part of my family traditions as our family grows up. 

What are some foods or recipes that are special to your family? 

xoxo 

Audrey

Moms Know Best

Sometimes, only another mother knows just what you as a mom need. She can quickly evaluate your current situation and provide you with exactly what you need before you even have a chance to ask. She can do this because she has been there and she chooses to do it because she is an awesome mom and knows that motherhood is best enjoyed with many hands making for light work.

The beautiful woman in the pictures below is a perfect example of this mothering skill. She is busy with her own two children, husband and career but is quick to lend a hand to any mom in need. She recognizes a mom in need before many can even see her struggle and then she is there in a flash to help out.

She is my sister and I am so grateful for her!!!

Adventure Day - Parks Blueberries

This week we went on an adventure to Parks Blueberries, a blueberry farm about an hour from our home. Luke is loving blueberries, I cut them in half for him and he just swallows those little bites right down. Anyways, its blueberry season, I wanted to stock up and I have been wanting to visit Parks for awhile now.

They have a cafe, bakeshop, country store and an amazing, beautiful farm where you can pick a variety of blueberries (I didn't even know there was more than one kind of blueberry until this trip). Luke and I went with my sisters and our friends Marie and Mya.

Can I just side track for a minute and say, thank you, to all the aunts and friends without children who choose to hang out with their friends who have children, on their days off. You are life enhancers, you allow us to do extra cool things, that without you, would not be as fun!

Ok, back to our blueberry trip. We of course tried to time naps with our drive which kind of worked out. Both children fell asleep about 15 minutes before we arrived at our destination so we drove around Bothwell for a little while to let the babes sleep. Bothwell is a pretty little town and is also where we go to cut down our Christmas tree, in the winter.

When we got there we had lunch. I enjoyed a fresh salad with a blueberry dressing which you can pick up in their store so you can enjoy it at home. I had blueberries on my salad but if you ordered a meal like a sandwich, you got a big pile of blueberries on the side, who doesn't love that? Everyone enjoyed their meals and Luke entertained the crowd by waving at everyone the whole time we ate (waving is currently his favourite thing to do and its just the cutest).

After lunch, we headed outside to pick some berries. Before we started picking, we were able to sample the four kinds of berries that were currently fresh and available. The young man working gave us the run down on which berries were best for baking, eating, freezing and so on, we picked the Reka variety.

Compared to strawberry picking (which is the only other kind of berry picking I have done) I would say that blueberry picking is really easy. The bushes are tall so you don't have to bend down if you don't want to and the berries come off the branches really easily. We filled our buckets pretty quickly but not without snapping some picks of the marvellous landscape. As I picked, I couldn't help but think how blessed I am to live so close to a place where I can pick fresh fruit, our little corner of Ontario is pretty great. I was so happy, I did a little singing while I picked, which was enjoyed by others blueberry picking near by.

I picked two buckets full of berries and Luke ate two buckets full of berries of the ground, just kidding:). On our way out, we all grabbed some baked goods from the bakeshop. Not only do they have delicious treats made with blueberries but they also have brownies and cookies. Tyler and I have been enjoying a classic blueberry pie for dessert all week and now I need to learn how to make pie.

I would say that our Parks Blueberries adventure day was a huge success! I froze a bunch of my berries for baking and smoothies. When the colder weather rolls in and I am enjoying blueberries, I will be dreaming of the sun on my face in the blueberry field and our day at Parks Blueberries.

Beauty

In this video I discuss my thoughts on beauty and it has nothing to do with makeup.

Thank you for watching! I would love to hear your thoughts on beauty, please leave me a comment.

A Visit With The Birds

A few weekends ago we went to visit my Bird family in Fergus. I love Fergus! I especially love Fergus in the summer, its green and peaceful and kinda dreamy. More than I love Fergus, I love the Birds who live there, my cousins, Aunt and Uncle.

This visit, we decided to explore St Jacobs Farmers Market. It was the first weekend of the new building being open and that market was a buzzing. We did a little shopping and a lot of eating. Luke was even into trying the different foods, it was so fun. We literally, ate our way through that market.

After a tour through the market, we went to visit some more family that lived in the area and enjoyed some time catching up. Luke was happy to play with someone his own age and we were happy to chat over more food and coffee.

I am blessed enough to have family members that are also my friends, and for that I am grateful.

I hope your weekend is filled with family, fun and food!!!

Artwalk & Our Beach

Sometimes the weekends pass us by and we don't get too much done around here but on those weekends, we also make pretty great memories. We are trying not to sweat the small stuff and enjoy all the fun stuff. May your weekend be filled with activities, that leave your laundry pile unfolded!

Here is a video of our activities from last weekend!

Happy weekend friends!

Sisterhood

Check out this fun interview video I created with my sisters, all about the awesomeness of sisterhood.

Gratitude Monday - I Am Grateful For Easter

I am grateful for Easter and the promise of new beginnings. I am grateful that forgiveness is freely available for me to accept each day because I mess up a lot. 

I am grateful for appetizers and parties, eating little bites all day long is my favourite style of meal. 

I am grateful for my husband and the many ways he surprises me. I am also grateful for the cuteness of father and son matching outfits. 

I am grateful for my sisters. 

I am grateful for my little family. 

I am grateful for silly hats that make people laugh. 

I am grateful for this crazy little dog/duck. 

I am grateful for grandmas who play outside and on the ground with their grandchildren. 

I am grateful for cousins, a bond that is stronger than friendship because you come from the same place.

I am grateful for birthdays, holidays and the memories that are made on these specials days when we all get to be together.