Autumn. Breathe.

What beauty, what charm. The cold sets in.

This season for me is :

a) Sudden - Suddenly upon us, cold and colourful. Shorter days and stuffier noses. Summer seems to fly now that I have a family of my own. I'm so grateful for the long lazy days we spent sitting around outside this summer.

b) Sweet and Sad - The dark creeping in, the cold wind making me pull my little ones closer. The end of our garden for now; the overripe tomatoes squished into the empty ground. There is something about this time, when I look ahead to the long cold season, that makes me sad. Not *boohoo* sad, just *sigh* sad.

c) Homey - I like to hibernate. I'm certainly busy and somewhat social in my own way but I also like to stay cozy and close to home, baking with LOTS of butter and cooking large healthy soups. I shift into a low-speed, granola, martha-stewart-esque frame of mind and being for a few weeks as I plan my winter. I'm very tempted to pickle and can.

Many trips to Quinn Farm give us an opportunity for outdoor play with a purpose. We bring home their fresh bread and muffins and spend time chatting with animals in the barn. I also like to visit the farm as I think about giving this season. The Quinns stock a ton of lovely gift ideas: baked goods of course, local honey, lovely jams made with farm-fresh ingredients, arts and crafts from select local crafters and a large selection of toys and games from award winning Melissa and Doug. In the spirit of buying locally and reducing the amount of "stuff" we give, the farm is a great place to stock up on affordable and thoughtful gifts for everyone.

Sunday mornings at Jean Talon Market also offer a ton of fun food options. I guess this season is largely about cooking and eating for me. What better way to soothe my ennui?

I love to take photos in the Fall. Here's a mish mash of our busy weekends.

Quinn Farm on a busy fall day

I made the yummiest curry with one of these babies!!

loves the pumpkin patch, even in the rain

perusing the gift section...

Marche Jean Talon

Eyeing the goodies at the market

The Big Apple, and Apple Sauce

A long weekend in New York City is surprisingly delightful with a tiny human in your arms. Whereas a few years ago I would have enjoyed some solid party-going; this trip I took the time to visit a few real gems in this great city and fit in a little work as well. I had some meetings for the acting side of my world and since I have family in the city, I decided to bring my tiny girl with me to enjoy some touring and visiting with her auntie Leela and her soon-to-be husband, Marc. Sharing New York in the Springtime, with a young couple about to start their life together, is pretty darn special.

We wandered through Brooklyn, Central Park, Soho, Greenwich Village and Little Italy eating and chatting with people everywhere we went. It's delightful how travelling with children opens you up to strangers young and old. Being a parent is so universal, it is something so fundamental we have in common. We all love our kids, and we appreciate that in others I think. From the Hasidic gentleman who offered his seat on the subway, to the young Latina who brought us our world famous pizza, I found kindred spirits all over the great NYC. Folks who would smile knowingly at my squirmy baby as she nose-dives into my gourmet cupcake.

I'm constantly amazed by how well my little girl adapts and how much fun I have showing her new things. New York was warm and mild compared to the freakishly cold Spring in Montreal. We walked for miles and took the trains from sun-up to sundown. My dainty girl gazed calmly from her cozy spot in the Ergo baby carrier and waved at strangers, flashing her smile and making friends everywhere we went. Having kids can make the world seem like a scary place - your heart crawling around with a mind of its own, tiny and vulnerable. However, I prefer to see the friendlies everywhere; the majority of people; moms and dads; brothers and sisters who hold the door, give up their seat and laugh with you when your baby showers her date with lemonade.

The Big Apple is full of friendlies.

This was the expression on her face throughout the museum!

Everyday

Why capture the everyday stuff? Here's why I do it:

When I think about my childhood, I remember the wackiest stuff. The cold October day when we finally put our summer clothes away. My mother's jewellery and treasures placed on her dresser. The sun making warm patches on the hardwood floor... My past plays like a lo-fi movie in my head. I think nostalgia serves an important purpose; to turn our scattered images of the past into a collection of short stories. Stories that make sense (and hopefully make us smile or sigh wistfully *she sighs*) I love that I'm setting the scene for my children's memory movies. I think about this when I paint my home with bright, vibrant colours and when I set the table or tidy up toys. I feel like the designer, director and producer of the crafty little masterpiece of my family home. My house is rarely tidy, but I capture the details of our work and play in order to hang on to the "scenes" from these early days in my children's life. They might not remember that I place tiny surprises throughout the house to make them smile. They don't really care that I wash, peel, cut and serve fresh fruits and veggies for their midmorning snack on the floor for winter picnics... But I take pictures of all of it, so they'll know someday (and hopefully they'll call).

After lunch: block time