Runs on Coffee and Cream

It's been a while since I sat down and wrote anything. September is in full swing and it feels like fall is around the corner. The weather has cooled significantly and the stores are filled with all things pumpkin.

The summer flew by with visits to Hamilton and having company come up to stay with us. It was an exceptionally hot summer. There were heat warnings almost weekly. So both Emma and myself spent a lot of days in light cotton, bare minimal clothing while we hung out at home. I didn't want to overheat her and because she's still too young for sunscreen, we can only spend so much time at the beach.

I originally thought we'd spend a ton of time outside this summer. It was the first summer with Emma and the first summer in this house. I had fantasies of kiddie pools and dinners at a patio table. But again, too hot and Emma is still too young for sunscreen and to sit by herself. We still had fun though and spent some time outside in small intervals.


If anything, I felt like I had gotten into quite the routine and flow with Emma. Things felt 'easy' the past couple of months, if you will. But this month has brought on a new challenge... it's time to introduce her to solid foods. So far it's been a fun process but I feel like I'm doing way more research than I should have to about foods and purees and recipes, etc. Once we have her 6 month check up, I'm hoping to feel better when I can ask the doctor some questions.



As usual I've embraced fall with open arms. A break from the heat plus pumpkin spice lattes make fall such a lovely welcome.

I've been busy baking pumpkin things already and I've had more pumpkin spice lattes than I care to count (I'm making up for last year when I was pregnant...). It's our first fall with Emma but what do you do with a 6-8 month old in the fall? She's too young for pumpkin picking and to eat a Thanksgiving meal. Besides dressing her up for Halloween and some fall walks, I can't think of anything else we can do as a family for the fall season.


I'll be sure to share my successful pumpkin recipes on here. And if you don't follow me on Instagram already, you can see random pics of cats and babies and sweets @sparklegirljen since I post more regularly on there.


Have a great day!
xo Jen

We hit up as many comic book, tabletop gaming, video games, and toy stores as we could fit in. I also squeezed in a visit to MAC makeup and Forever 21. Checking out these stores led us to purchasing some great things too.

I finally had the chance to check out Silver Snail's new location. I loved their Black Canary Cafe inside.



I also drank quite a bit of bubble tea while we wandered the city. There's a bubble tea place on every single block it seems and I had no self control.



We also played Pokemon Go for a good chunk of time. All the walking helped us hatch some eggs and we finally caught a Doduo there!



I insisted on finding a bakery nearby that sold French Macarons since we don't have any bakeries that sell them in Sudbury.


They even had a pumpkin spice one!


Second Cup doesn't have a stand alone location in Sudbury. It's inside the university here. So I've never tried their pumpkin spice latte. Well I stopped into a Second Cup in Toronto to finally try it and it did not disappoint! It's so creamy and spicy and was definitely better than Starbucks' version in my opinion.


I still feel like my body is recovering from this trip. The walking kicked my butt and I find I never sleep well anymore when I'm not in my own bed. It was a fun mini-vacation though and the perfect way to spend a couple of days at the beginning of the fall season.

xo Jen

Yes, it's still August. However, companies are already promoting the Pumpkin season and it makes me so excited! Starting next week I'll be able to drink weekly pumpkin spice lattes and look for pumpkin treats in the grocery store (Canada has a pathetic selection in comparison to the U.S. though).

I know new items will pop up this year but these are my favourite pumpkin treats that I'm looking forward to.


Clockwise from top left corner:

1. Tim Horton's Pumpkin Pie Iced Capp. It came out last year and I only had the one but it was really good. I've noticed it popping up on U.S. friends' instagrams so I'm assuming it'll be showing up at Canadian locations again.
2. Pumpkin Pie Blizzard at Dairy Queen. This has been coming out year after year for as long as I can remember and it's one of my favourite things! The graham cracker bits throughout the blizzard are perfect.
3. Pumpkin Chai tea from Davids Tea. I've said it again and again, but this is one of my favourite teas. Pumpkin spice and chai are the perfect combination.
4. Pumpkin Spice Oreos. These finally showed up in Canada last year and they're so tasty. I'm sure I'll be stocking up again this year
5. McDonald's Pumpkin Spice Latte. I like it better than Starbucks' version. It's less sweet and more spicy. I will be consuming this pumpkin treat the most during the upcoming months.

I also really like the Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts and Pumpkin Spice M&Ms but these aren't available in Canada and I've only been able to try them a couple times.

What are you favourite pumpkin treats?
xo Jen

Those apple cider floats are for sure going to happen because I have such a weakness for apple cider. And I want to add maple syrup to all my recipes now!

What are your Fall go-to recipes?
xo Jen