Multitude Monday : September 29, 2014

A lunch with the girls at The Dancing Goat, a local favourite

Good day! It's time for some Multitudes this Monday morning…

What is Multitude Monday? Well, starting out, each week I would write a list of ten things that I was currently thankful for. Now, it's not quite as regular but the idea is still the same. Compiling a list of positive things in my life is a great way to take a look at my daily blessings and to take the focus away from the less than great elements. For example - I'm thankful for naps… as opposed to being woken up several times during the night ;) I'd love for you to chime in! Feel free to use the idea and come up with a list on your own blog, in a notebook, on your fridge, or even in the comments in this post. Try it! You'll feel better instantly.

Today I'm thankful for:

781 - warm banana chocolate chip muffins cooling on the counter and a pot of bubbling spicy chana masala soup on the stove
782 - Mom who rescued me this morning so I could go back to bed for an hour or two and have a long, hot shower afterwards… baby girl is hard work!
783 - a newly cleared out spot on my bookshelf to keep my library books sorted and organized
784 - sweet books that I'm itching to make my way through - some from Rachel, and some from the local library
785 - Daniel's coming home this afternoon after being gone since Friday morning. Single parenting is for the birds!
786 - tackling church with Violet by myself yesterday morning - and she was a great girl!
787 - driving with my newly-licensed baby brother on the weekend and sharing oodles of laughs
788 - spending some girl time at Kimberly's beautiful autumn wedding shower on Friday evening
789 - coconut candles burning and a cozy warm apartment with changing leaves outside
790 - making Christmas crafty plans with Meghan that make me oh-so-happy

What about you? What are you thankful for today? Do share!

Happy Monday!

Currently Crushing On : All Things Yellow

For the past several months, I have had yellow on the brain. Yellow for my home, yellow for V, yellow for me. I see it everywhere and I want it everywhere. There are little bits of yellow incorporated into my home, through art and accessories, and I have been picking up odds and ends here and there, too.

Last weekend, I found an item that I've been hunting for a long time: a mustard cardigan. It's only been a few days, but it's one of the most versatile pieces in my closet. I also purchased a mustard pair of jeans, but I'm still on the fence about them - I adore coloured denim, but yellow on my bottom half may not be the best decision. We'll see what happens.

Meanwhile, I've been pinning yellow images left and right on Pinterest. I started a yellow board, and I'll include a link so you can stay updated, if you're a fan of the colour like me. Here's a peek at what I've been inspired by:

Are you in love with any colours lately? Do share! I'm constantly changing what my "favourite colour" is, but yellow, mint green, and coral have had my heart for several years now. They're so cheery and bright - and they pair beautifully with every neutral!

Have a great weekend, and…

Happy Friday!

Autumn Adventures 2014 : Apple Picking

Last week, Dan and I spent four days exploring the western end of our province with Violet before he returned to work from his parental leave. Can we take a moment to acknowledge how awesome it is that either parent can take paid time off of work to spend with their newly expanded families? 

We spent time in our provincial capital of Halifax, visiting with our awesome friends and sharing oodles of laughs, just what my heart needed. Heidi and Kenny were our hosts for three nights, and little Tate is V's newest favourite man. We also met Kelsie and Adam for a delicious brunch (breakfast bean burrito, what?!) on the last morning of our mini vacation. 

One of my favourite experiences? Apple picking in Wolfville at Noggins Farm. We had spent another day exploring Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Chester, and we were eager to visit Wolfville for its farmers' market. Heidi mentioned that their favourite apple picking site was nearby, and after a little GPS mishap, which took us to the middle of nowhere, we arrived at Noggins. Dan and I pushed a snoozing V in her stroller through the wicked corn maze (the arial view is in the shape of an apple) and snacked on freshly popped kettle corn. We hopped on the back of a wagon and ventured into the middle of the apple orchard, where we picked a huge bag of apples. Noggins has over 15 varieties, but we concentrated on McIntosh, Gala and Cortland apples. The Honeycrisps will be ready in a few weeks time. (Darn!)

Dan and I have decided to make apple picking an annual event for our little family. Spending hours together outdoors in the fresh air, creating memories, was so special. Next year, V will be snagging apples of her own off the trees!

Happy Thursday!

Currently - September 2014

After reading Heidi's list over at Idlehide today, I was inspired to share a "Currently" post here on Polka Dot Soup. I so enjoy reading them on other people's blogs, so maybe you do, too.

Here's what's current for me:

Drinking a hot chocolate or David's tea every evening, now that the cooler weather is here

Watching Masterchef online, and looking forward to a library-borrowed 12 Years a Slave dvd with Daniel this evening

Wishing I could paint our entire apartment white and fill it with friends

Dreaming about a home of our own, cozy and simple, with enough room to host delicious brunches and have lots of overnight guests.

Saving for a pair of quality leather boots to traipse around in for years to come. I have just about enough saved to purchase a pair, but I haven't decided fully on a brand or style.

Indulging in the occasional treat, now that my body can properly digest fat again. I had a chocolate square at lunchtime and it made my head feel spinny!

Spending very little on clothing lately, other than supporting a local youth group clothes sale. I'm between sizes right now (yay!), and I would like to solidly be in the smaller size in most stores before buying more clothes.

Looking for vintage paint-by-number pieces and large vintage letter and number signage. I'm ready to change up my living room's gallery wall for fall.

Thinking of what I'm going to make for supper.We have tons of protein and produce to choose from this week, since we did a big double grocery order on Wednesday. I've been using the PC Plus and Checkout 51 apps to help us stay on target with our budget. More on that soon!

Craving pumpkin anything - I've yet to have anything this month with that delightful flavour

Loving how much my girl loves taking selfies. She's amazed by the "other baby" on the camera. It makes her so happy, unless she's upset. If she's cranky and spots the cranky "other baby" she gets even more upset!

Looking forward to a day or overnight trip next week, location TBD.

Wondering when I'm going to hop back into the design world and start making moolah

Justifying that trip by thinking that I'm going to be home by myself again in a couple of weeks. Dan returns to work next Monday, so I'm soaking up every moment I can with him.

What about you? What are you currently up to? Do share!

Have a great weekend - Happy Friday!

Hello September

The lovely flower and herb garden at The Herring Choker Deli

It's September 1st! Here's what I'm saying hello to:

Hello warm days and cool nights.
Hello surgery relief.
Hello sweet and growing and changing baby girl.
Hello design world, I've missed you.
Hello canning and preserving.
Hello pumpkin everything.
Hello budgeting and menu planning.
Hello blogging, I've missed you, too.
Hello farmers' markets and fresh produce.
Hello new tunes. (Any recommendations?)
Hello learning new skills.
Hello FaceTime with my favourite student.
Hello footstool recovering.
Hello body recovering.
Hello snail mail.
Hello reading plan.
Hello local wild blueberries.
Hello family time.

What are you saying hello to this month?

(Sidenote: As of today, I have the same amount of blogposts as I did last year, my most measly year - 45. There's a good chance that I'll beat that total, since I have four full months left of 2014. Yahoo!)

Happy Monday!