Runs on Coffee and Cream

Spring is always a short season here. It shows up late and then before you know it summer pops up in June with some scorching hot days. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and everything that comes with it. But spring is nice for walks and hikes and to work in the garden. I feel like May is already filling up with plans which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it means this month is going to fly by.

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After sitting down with Adam to discuss some things coming up, we realized there's a handful of things we'd like to do before the hot summer shows up.

Spring To Do List:

• Go for a hike or two! Summer brings mosquitoes which makes hiking trails difficult without being eaten alive. So we want to head to a couple of hiking areas before all the bugs show up.
• Work on the outside of our house - put down grass seed, plant flowers in the gardens, decide on what vegetables we want to plant and start picking up seeds and plants.
• Have a bonfire. Before we get too hot evenings, we figure we'll take advantage of the cooler evenings with a bonfire. 
• Get our bikes out of the shed! Fill up the tires and start going for regular rides.
• Start making iced tea regularly. Iced tea is definitely a summer thing, but with Davids Tea promoting all their iced tea products I'm ready to start making pitchers of it regularly. It's refreshing after a warm walk or bike ride.

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October is easily one of my favourite months out of the year. It means fall is in full-swing, the weather has cooled off, the trees are gorgeous colours, and two great holidays are during the month: Thanksgiving and Halloween.

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I'm realizing the next major holiday (Christmas... shhhh...) is starting to creep into stores and in my mind. But I really, really want to enjoy October before getting into the next holiday. To do this I'm making a small to do list to get outside and enjoy all the best things about October.

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October To Do List:

• make all the pumpkin goodies (cookies, cake, loaves)
• go for a few walks; walks downtown, along the boardwalk, and a hike in the conservation area
• eat pumpkin pie and drink pumpkin spice lattes all month long
• carve pumpkins
• watch horror movies to get in the Halloween spirit
• have a bonfire

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Um. How is the end of September nearing? Fall officially starts early Wednesday morning and it's by far my favourite season. I pulled out the few Fall decorations I have and I'm beyond excited to buy all the canned pumpkin in October for baking recipes.


Fall To Do List:
- eat and drink all the pumpkin things!
- go on lots of hikes and walks
- have bonfires
- visit a farm and buy homemade apple butter
- pick up pumpkins to carve for Halloween
- have Halloween/horror movie nights

It's hard to believe tomorrow is the first day of Summer since Spring went by so quickly. I'm really looking forward to Summer this year. It's our first entire Summer we're in our house and it's incredibly nice to have a yard for barbecuing, gardening, relaxing, and bonfires. I have plans for toasting marshmallows and sipping sangria during Summer evenings.


Summer To Do List:
- day trip to North Bay
- picnics at Moonlight beach and Bell Park
- lots of swimming
- camping
- bonfires and s'mores
- ice cream dates
- shop at the local market


What do you have planned for the Summer? I just want to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather as much as possible because Autumn creeps up fast here.
xo Jen

February is a short month. It's also the last month of official Winter in my eyes. Yes, moving North means Winter sticks around longer. But March can be hit or miss. Sometimes you get a stretch of mild days that melts a bit of snow. This means I need to fit in Winter activities over the next month in case Spring shows up sooner than we expect.


I'm predicting February to be a fast month. There's IGGPPC things happening (bake-alongs, themed recipes to be made, challenges to participate in, etc.), a Valentine date night, and sewing!

I'm not going to lie and say I'm not excited for Spring and more sunshine! But I definitely want to take advantage of all the snow and ice before it disappears!

February To Do List:
- more ice skating
- snow shoeing
- keep up with yoga
- sew as much as possible and keep Etsy updated


Do you have anything fun planned for this month?
xo Jen

It's cold. Today when I woke up it felt like -40 degrees Celsius with the windchill and it didn't warm up much. This afternoon it felt like -35. It's easy to be a homebody in this weather. Stay in a warm house, drinking hot drinks, and wrapped in blankets. Don't get me wrong, that was how I spent most of my morning and evening. But I have to get out of the house sometimes. I need sunshine and to just leave the house.

So in spirit of getting out of the house or at least off the couch this month, typically one of the colder Winter months, here's my January to do list:

- ice skating on Ramsey Lake
- exercising regularly at home
- have a board game night, even if it's just with Adam
- start prepping for my first comic convention of the season (March is not that far away... eeek!)
- go for snowy but sunny afternoon walks