Wednesday on Wednesday

I hope both your weather and your holiday (For my Canadian readers) weekend have been amazing where you are as they have been here. Temperatures in the high twenties have been keeping me from blogging. After an amazing dinner with family and friends on Sunday, we went on day trip to check out the fall foliage. Living in South eastern Ontario is really quite a treat this time of year. Cheers.

Wednesday on Wednesday

 On a Don-Keh!

 Mother Bear and Little Bear

 My cutie patootie tree hugger.

Father Bear & Little Bear.
I hope your Canada Day and Independence Day were as wonderful as ours! (Canada Day)

Wednesday on Wednesday

The camera was found! (In the mister's pocket no less!) I can now share with you photos from our trip to Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area Sugarbush!(Say that three times fast!) We enjoyed ourselves so much that we will be back for many an outing this summer.

Photo heavy post so I made a jump for you to view the rest.

Wednesday on Wednesday

I know this is a little late but it has been a busy day here! I do have a couple pictures to share though. Wednesday is big on avoiding the camera lately (I think it is a form of rebellion.) But, when she isn't looking at me she is usually being super cute with Daddy!

For our fifth anniversary The Mister took us for a gorgeous fall drive to Ottawa. You do not get prettier than Ontario in the fall and this trip was no exception. I haven't the pics I wanted due to only having a point and shoot and a sleeping  babe but the memories are there forever. Here are a few pics I did manage to take of Wednesday at some of the places we visited.




Throwing rocks in the Ottawa River at Brittania Beach.



Hanging out with some Dinosaurs at the Canadian Museum of Nature.


Dressing up as a bunny in one of the kids areas at the museum.

Wednesday's favourite thing about the trip naturally was the dinosaurs. She loves dinosaurs, plays with hers daily so I was so happy as a parent to be able to do that for her. I can't wait to take her back again or even to another science museum with super fun interactive exhibits. For more pictures of our trip that include some great scenery, fabulous dinosaur skeletons (even a blue whale skeleton) and random family schmoopiness click here to be taken to the Flickr photoset.

Wednesday on Wednesday

"Take a picture of me hugging the tree Mommy." Our little tree hugger had a lot of fun on her very first camping trip. And so did we. For those of you interested in a few candid snap shots you can view the set here at Flickr.

Wednesday on Wednesday

Well, here I am not only on time but a little bit early! (I writing this as a scheduled post, lots to do this evening!) Here are a few select pictures from an impromptu business/fun trip to our nations' capital and surrounding areas.


Sunday morning in Ottawa brought us torrential rains. Rains that sucked to get caught in two streets from where we were eating breakfast! But, with the help of a brand new yellow umbrella,Wednesday's spirits were instantly lifted while waiting for Daddy to bring the truck around.


Later on, in at the hotel she just had to go for a walk in her new shoes. because who wouldn't want to show off shoes that look like that? Satan maybe, but he probably only wears sensible shoes.


The next morning, we found a city park in Pembroke, Ontario that was just what we needed after a day in the truck driving around chasing thunderstorms.


It is moments like these that make it all worthwhile yes? Indubitably.


And what day is complete without being swallowed by giant plastic playground creatures?


We played this great game where I was the troll and she wanted on my bridge but she had to answer riddles about Daddy's favourite colour and what comes after five and such. She loved it!


Sometimes you even get a near perfect family photo out of the affair!

It was a most wonderful weekend, rain and all.

Wednesday on Wednesday

Kensington market with Daddy, originally uploaded by Cara.Mia.

This is why you have yet to hear from me this week. We decided to take a trip to the city (Toronto) to visit some family (I have two siblings living there.). We ended up spending as much time IN traffic as we did out but the weather was good and the food even better.

Wednesday on Wednesday

 One very proud father and one very happy daughter.

We have created our own tradition for Fathers day as a family and for me I think it is beginning to rival Christmas. I mean the weather is nicer and there is no emptying of the pockets for gifts so we can invite as many people as we want! What we do is get Ron's family, my family and any super close friends together for a BBQ at a local park area. This was our third year having the BBQ and we had it at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. The weather was cool and windy but sunny and warm at the sawe time. Above conversation and laughter we heard the waves crashing on the shore of the shoal beach. So.very.awesome. At first it was just the easiest way to say happy fathers day to the newest dad in my life (Ron) and both of our dads as well as Ron's bother who has been a dad for a few years. It just seemed like such a good idea we kept going last year and then again this year and will definitely be doing it every year after this that weather permits.
I hope your weekend was as full of smiles and sunshine as ours!

How To: Trash Bash!

This weekend The Mister, Wednesday and I participated in our communities annual Trash Bash. In light of Earth Day on Thursday, our (and I am assuming thousands of others) community hosts an event where they supply the bags, the gloves, the dumpsters and the BBQ (complete with veggie dogs) and we supply the man power and the whereabouts. Seems like a pretty decent deal. It is. It was a bittersweet experience though.

Wednesday on Wednesday

A couple of days ago we had a mild weathered day and although it was gloomy, we took a walk on the frozen shoreline of the Bay of Quinte.





We played with the snow.



We played with grasses.



We made snow angels.



We cuddled.

It was a good day of Wednesday.

Ahhh weekends, these are the things dreams are made of.

The weather this weekend has been truly wonderful. Cool crisp mornings perfect for farmers markets and long walks at the beaches and wonderfully warm sunny afternoons great for lounging outside and baking inside.

It was a wonderful weekend. I have the photos to prove it. We started out at the farmers market where it was kids day with the local health unit putting on small events like zucchini car races and a colouring contest.



We bought some great stuff. Buckwheat honey and apples which I used to make some upside down apple muffins. I also bought tomatillos but I have not quite figured out how I will use them. Some seriously sweet baked goods and whole wheat bread and of course cherry tomatoes for the wee one. Wednesday loves "tatoes".

We thought we were going to go to another market in "The County" (Prince Edward County) but instead ended up at Sandbanks Provincial Park and wandered along a rockier part of the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous.





Wednesday fell asleep for the long sunny drive home. When we got home I fought off a case of the dozies (from the sunny drive) but baking with the apples. In addition to the aforementioned muffins I baked an apple crisp with my mom's recipe but I did not know she doubles the topping and although it turned out okay, it was not awesome. Next time.

For giggles Ron and I went to the movies to see Whiteout. It was okay. I don't think I would tell anyone to spend thirty bucks on tickets and munchies to see it but definitely a renter. Kate Beckinsale looks a lot like Neve Campbell but thankfully she doesn't act like her. Because it is set in Antarctica it does not take too much to weed thorough the who-dunnit but still, not bad and I definitely liked hanging out with Ron.

Today we rose and ran early again. This time to walk the newly refurbished boardwalk at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. It was gorgeous. So...marshy. We did not get to see much wildlife but the scenery was beautiful and Wednesday loved running around. She managed to stay on the boardwalk the entire time, no trips or falls. When we walked through any wooded areas (or drove through later) she kept saying "Mommy, it's dark." Now, she is not afraid of the dark so I haven't any idea where that came from. she wasn't scared but felt the need to point it out, every single time there was heavy shade. Kids are so darn cute.

Speaking of cute...





The wee one is napping now. I think we are taking her to visit Ron's parents this afternoon. The home for lasagna and hopefully some sewing to share this week. If you like you can see more pictures from this weekend at my flickr photostream.

See you tomorrow for Mmm good Monday!

Dad's 50th Birthday Meatitarian Feast

For this weeks edition of Mmmm good Mondays I bring you Cheeseburger Cupcakes and a feast fit for any carnivore!

We themed the party "Meatitarian" after the Wendy's commercial. Ron and I are raising Wednesday vegetarian and we ourselves only eat meat rarely and when this commercial was released we recieved a couple phone calls from our family making reference to it. We decided to use it as the them to the dinner because my dad is always complaining about the lack of meat at dinnertime these days and I thought he would be able to appreciate a meat buffet.
The buffet consisted of dry rubbed and marinated for two days in a homemade sauce by Ron and then slow baked in the oven ribs, meatballs slow cooked in a crock pot in the same homemade bbq sauce, Sweet and spicy Thai chicken wings, two coleslaw (another homemade ginger sauce by Ron) type salads, bake potatoes, cheese bread, mac n' cheese bake and the Cheeseburger Cupcakes for desert.

The cupcakes were almost as big a hit as Ron's ribs. I got a lot of oohs and aahhs but Ron's ribs were eaten into extinction. I tried a couple meatballs and although the sauce was wonderful I cannot stand ground beef and it's meatballs counterparts. Give me a meatless meatball any day! I did manage to fill up on a bake potato with sour cream and some mac n' cheese. After the entire day in the kitchen making the cupcakes, I really was not that hungry anyway.

The cupcakes were inspired by this flickr tutorial set. I tweaked them a bit using brownie hamburgers (inspired by Martha's brownie cutouts from her Cupcakes book) and buttermilk in the vanilla cake mix (it was a *gasp* box mix) and I made my own vanilla icing recipe from Martha Stewart Cupcakes book. A tip: Dust your cookie cutter with cocao to cut out browine 'burgs. I used icing sugar without thinking first and well...you can see where I am going with this.
Topped with some killer 5-0 shaped sparklers they were worth all of the effort.

Better than all of the cooking and baking though was having my family here. My sister and brother were here from Toronto for the night and my other brother came in from Kingston the day of the dinner. Very close friends of the family made it in from out of town for dinner and cake and it was great. Said friends even bought dad a t-shirt that went perfectly with the theme it said "There is room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed potatoes." I was sad when everyone had to start heading out hoping to beat the Sunday night traffic but I was exhausted at the same time. After battling that cold this month, having a child who now rises with the sun (literally) and company, visiting and baking I am truly exhausted. I slept like a rock last night and I just might nap with Wednesday in the next hour.

Then again, I might start another craft project because I am a glutton for punishment.