I didn't always love coffee. My first memory of coffee is my parents drinking foul-smelling instant coffee every morning with breakfast, each of them out of their special mugs, Mom's with milk, Dad's with milk and sugar. Long after Dad has gone off to work for the day, my mother would have a second coffee mid-morning and I'd marvel at how she seemed to enjoy something that smelled so disgusting.

Throughout high school I avoided drinking coffee, but I learned how to make it working at McDonald's. I still couldn't get over how many customers would order not just one cup, but drain it and then turn around and get a free refill - sometimes more than one! HOW are they drinking this shit? I'd think, doling out sugar packets. The closest I'd come to drinking coffee myself was a Tim Horton's French Vanilla cappuccino, which I now realize is as close to coffee as french fries are to vegetables - only the most distant of relatives.

In college I had many vices, but coffee wasn't one of them. I graduated and started a "real" job, and while my coworkers clamoured for the coffee machine in the office kitchen, I happily stuck with pastries and donuts and the occasional hot chocolate. It wasn't until my mid-20s, when I moved to Halifax and started showing up at work more than a little hungover and on very little sleep on a fairly regular basis, that I developed a tolerance for coffee, and even then it was something I choked down in an effort to fuel myself through the day. I remember a job interview that took place at a coffee shop. My interviewer got an Americano and I ordered some sort of a peppermint mocha concoction piled high with whipped cream, which I then proceeded to eat with a spoon during my interview. (I also got the job - don't ask how).

I went on a work trip to Toronto and when waiting at Pearson for my return flight, I wandered up to a Starbucks counter. It happened to be fall, so the pumpkin spice signage was everywhere, even though it was much less of a thing then. The pictures looked pretty good, so I ordered one.

That was the moment when I started to really enjoy coffee. It was probably the first "good" coffee of my life, and sitting in the airport, sipping from the white Starbucks cup, clutching my laptop bag, watching people scurrying around looking busy and important, was one of those first moments every 20-something has when you start feeling like a legit grownup. I was traveling, alone, for work. I had a Starbucks. I had navigated airport security by myself. I had attended a national meeting on behalf of my company. I, too, was busy and important, and that drink in my hand made me feel even more so. I went home, scoped out the local Starbucks, and started going there at least once a week for a latte, and it became my favourite way to treat myself.

Thankfully for my wallet, I learned how to make coffee at home, and now that's how I start every morning, a coffee with cream. Occasionally I'll grab a mid-morning cup as well, but for the most part one a day does the trick. I'm not a coffee snob - I'll drink McCafe, Starbucks, Second Cup. I don't need fancy flavouring or milks, just a splash of regular old cream will do the trick. I like meeting friends for coffee and gossip, bringing to-go mugs to the park with Pete and Eli in the fall when we're crunching through leaves, spiking coffee with Bailey's at Christmas time, or curling up on the couch with a cup and a magazine on a chilly Sunday morning. On our honeymoon in Paris I drank tons of cafe au lait, which just tastes better enjoyed on a little table on the sidewalk.

Happy International Coffee Day, coffee lovers! What's your favourite way to enjoy coffee?

one of my favourite coffee breaks ever in Paris

Rather than inundate you with yet another list of all the reasons why fall is da best (it is) or sharing my fall to-dos (lotta apples, lotta pumpkins), I decided to actually do something useful today and post my fall playlist.

Yeah, fall gets its own music -- it can't just be about booties, dark nail polish, and pumpkin coffee allllll the dang time. (That's a lie and you know it. I'm currently wearing booties, dark nail polish, and drinking a pumpkin coffee).

Enjoy! PS - I still have four Spotify codes to share for any Canadian friends who would like to check it out!

I spent Sunday afternoon in the kitchen, running back and forth to the den to watch the New England-Minnesota game, which constitutes a pretty ideal fall afternoon for me. Football and good eats: there's nothing better. Capping off a solid weekend with a delicious family dinner is perfection, and I love that we're starting to make it a routine in our home.

We haven't used our slow cooker all summer, since most meals that come out of it tend to be heartier, more filling fare than we usually choose during the hotter months. No one wants to sit down to a bowl of steaming chilli when it's 30 degrees outside with 90% humidity - not this bear, at least. We've been eating a lot of barbecued burgers and steaks, potatoes and corn on the grill, and salads. But come fall, it's game on for soups, casseroles, roasts, and stews, and the slow cooker gets a workout.

This weekend I tried a slow cooker veggie lasagna recipe I found on Pinterest. I modified it somewhat. Instead of kale, I used baby spinach and mushrooms, since those were the veggies I had on hand. I also subbed in arrabbiata sauce in place of tomato sauce since I can't read freaky deaky Italian, two jars were like $6 at Costco, and it was nestled in amongst other tomato-y products. Long story short, this lasagna was a whole lot spicier than I would have made otherwise, but we loved it. In the future I might mix a little arrabbiata into the tomato sauce or even go 50/50 just to give it some kick.

(Did you guys know arrabbiata is Italian for 'angry'? As in, the chili peppers used in this sauce are so hot they're angry? Also as in, you will be 'angry' when you realized you didn't buy actual tomato sauce but then happy when your lasagna turns out delicious? RIGHT.)

The lasagna turned out amazing and will become a fall and winter staple in our house, for sure. It made nine generous portions (three of which were eaten by Pete at dinner, not judging, just saying). It's so easy to pull together. Bear in mind you don't need to cook the noodles before putting them in the slow cooker, which is the worst part of making lasagna, let's be honest. This was easy peasy.

For dessert I made apple pie with a crumbly cheese topping, originally spotted on Hillary's blog. I didn't balk at the idea of a cheese topping on apple pie. My dad always used to cut a big hunk of cheddar to eat with his Thanksgiving dessert, so I know the two go together well. Peter couldn't get past the idea that cheese doesn't belong on desserts (helloooooo cheesecake wtf) so he ate a tiny sliver, but Eli and I loved it and have been polishing off the rest of the pie this week.

Great food, favourite boys, and a big Patriots win: nothing but good on a sunny Sunday.

When I learned that I'd been selected to participate in Downtown Halifax's Big Day Downtown event again this summer, I was thrilled. Over the past few summers, I have been introduced to some of my new favourite downtown spots through this promotion: Biscuit General Store, Spirit Spa, and Sugah!, to name just a few. 

College Prepster published a great blog post recently about five lists you should be keeping. As a compulsive list-maker, this spoke to me. On any given day, I'm keeping a minimum of four lists: my daily to-do list, weekly meal planning, weekly outfit planning, and goals for the month. At holidays it's more like 10 lists! Any excuse to add another list to my rotation and I'm all ears.

According to that post, list number one that we should all be keeping is "shit I've done really well". I'm definitely into this. After all, how often do we toot our own horns and reflect on the things we're actually good at? Not very often, at least not in my case. I tend to focus too much energy on the things I don't do well at all, trying to get better at them, versus celebrating and honing in on the things I'm good at. We all could stand to take a step back and reflect on our strengths from time to time.



Here are five things I think I do pretty well:

Figuring out what I need to feel my best. It's different for everybody. For me, not eating after 7pm, avoiding too many carbs, drinking 3L+ of water, sleeping 8+ hours, and doing something active every day is the formula for feeling good. I don't always follow it, but at least I know that if I don't want to feel like crap upon waking up, this is my best plan. Now I need to get better at taking my own advice!

Raising a happy kid with good habits. Of course, this is a joint effort with Pete, Eli's sitter, and the rest of our family! Eli is good at saying please, thank you, and excuse me, and I'm happy about that. It means a lot when people comment that he has good manners or that he seems really happy all the time. And I love that he likes to be outside and be active instead of plunking in front of a screen. I like to think we are passing on some good, healthy habits. That's not to say he doesn't throw a shit fit, display horrible manners, or ask for TV time on occasion but luckily those are the exception versus the norm. (Bear in mind he's two, almost three, so this could allllllll change at the drop of a hat.)

Baking cookies. This is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. (Sea salt + chocolate makes my head spin it's so good). I have made these guys so many times I barely need to look at my recipe card any more and have played around with the consistency of the butter, the amount of mixing, etc. to get them just right. I love having these in our cookie jar.

Staying organized. I have a system: on Sundays I meal plan and outfit plan for the week. I do as much as I can to prepare for the next workday in the evenings (i.e. wash hair, pack gym bag and work bag, set coffeemaker), minimizing what I need to do every morning. I make a to-do list for the next day before I leave the office at night so I can get started as soon as I arrive in the morning. I would reaaaaally like to get our house organized better, but in terms of having a day-to-day plan for getting things done, I feel like I'm in good shape and never really get too frazzled or overwhelmed.

Staying true to what I love. Flashback time!! When I was a little tyke, I loved creating stories. I would spend all day, literally up to eight hours a day, riding my bike in our driveway and making up stories in my head. I'd do this all day long, and then the next day, I'd go out again and pick up where I left off and continue the story. All through school, I loved language arts and English classes, especially writing. I studied journalism, I worked as a reporter, and now, more years than I want to admit later, I still get to tell stories and get paid for it. Things are a bit different now, what with technology and the way those stories are shared, but the process is still the same - I still get to entertain and educate people, and I feel lucky to be able to earn a living by doing something I love so much!

Your turn! Give yourself a pat on the back for the things you do well. Let's hear it!

It may not feel much like September outside - hellooooo, heat and humidity! But the kiddos are back to school, #PSL is back on the Starbucks menu, and we finally got to flip our kitchen calendar and stop staring at the stunned kitten that was the August page. It can only mean one thing: September is here.

Yeah, I went school supply shopping. Never mind the fact I haven't been in school in 10+ years.