[1] Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting - I baked these babies last weekend with Eli and they're fantastic. The recipe calls for drop cookies that you flatten with your fingers; we opted to roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to create Halloween shapes - you do you. Peter puts peanut butter on his instead of frosting. Again, you do you. When it comes to cookies, there are no wrong answers.



[2] The Secret History by Donna Tartt - I have been waiting for our local library to have The Goldfinch forEVER. I found this book by the same author, and it had decent Goodreads reviews, so I decided to give it a try. So suspenseful - it makes my bus ride to and from work fly by. So far so good! (P.S., if you're on Goodreads, let's be friends!)

[3] 1989 - I preordered this album weeks ago and my download was delayed on Monday when it was released, and, no joke, I was close to tears. I've been listening pretty much nonstop ever since. My three favourite tracks are Blank Space, Style, and Wildest Dreams but the whole album is great, start to finish.

[4] Metallic gold spray paint - I grabbed this at Michael's last weekend and painted some mini pumpkins gold. It was so easy and they look so great, I now want to spray paint our entire house metallic gold. I did a quick Pinterest search for metallic gold spray paint and the results are amazing. You can bet I'll be spray painting some pine cones, mason jars, and branches this fall and winter.

[5] The Next Issue app - At any given point in our home, there are probably 20 magazines lying around. Peter and I both read a couple different magazines on a monthly basis, plus sometimes we grab extra ones if they catch our eye. And then you keep them for a few months, and suddenly there are piles of magazines everywhere. I redeemed a Klout perk for an extra 30 day free trial of Next Issue (they offer a free 30-day trial for everyone) and will be continuing with a subscription after the trial runs out. For $9.99 a month, roughly the price of two magazines, you have access to 130 magazines, including both current and past issues! Worth it - and noooo clutter!

Have a happy weekend!

[photo via]

It was almost impossible to get out of bed this morning. It was still dark outside at 6:00 when the alarm went off, and it was just so cozy under the covers. Getting up and getting going was tough and it's shaping up to be the kind of day where you need a little reward at the end, a small high-five with yourself for pushing through and showing up.

Here are a few of my favourite, cheap (or free) ways to treat myself after a day and a half, because it's just not prudent to buy a new pair of boots every time you think you deserve a prize.

[LUSH bath bomb, $4-$8] // Not only are they inexpensive, but they're indulgent and relaxing. One of my favourite ways to calm down is to run a nice warm bath, light a candle, and pop one of these suckers in the tub. They come in a variety of scents, including some nice calming ones to help you wind down at bedtime. Some are coloured, some are glittery, and there are holiday-themed versions that make perfect little gifts.

[Lindt sea salt dark chocolate bar, $3] // I only enjoy these once or twice a year - I usually get one in my Christmas stocking. They're my absolute favourite chocolate bar. Salty/sweet perfection. And the dark chocolate is really satisfying, so just a square or two is enough, and the bar lasts a long time.

[Balea face masks, $2] // Sometimes when I'm browsing at Shopper's I'll grab a few of these individually packaged face masks (I believe they're $2 each or three for $5, but I might be wrong) and stash them in the bathroom. After a shower, I'll use an exfoliating scrub - St. Ives Apricot Scrub is the one I like best - and pop one of these suckers on for a great little pick-me-up that feels (almost) like a trip to the spa.

[Walk with the dog: FREE] // Spending time outside is said to reduce stress, and the same goes for spending time with animals. Taking a long walk with Rory is the best of both worlds. Even a 30-minute spin around our neighbourhood is a nice energy boost on nights when I'm too tired to put in a good effort at the gym. Walking helps me get my thoughts in order, the fresh air feels good, and there's companionship without the need to engage in a conversation.

[Puzzles: FREE-$10] // I like doing crossword puzzles, sudokus, or cryptoquotes, which I find in magazines, newspapers, or online for free. It's a great distraction, being able to focus on something else other than the day's events. Working on a jigsaw puzzle does it for me, too. Over the holidays I like having a big puzzle on the go - it's an alternative to watching TV or reading on chilly, stormy evenings when you just want to stay in and be cozy, and it's not terribly expensive either. For $10ish, a puzzle keeps you busy for hours! If you need a midday break to refocus, this site has free virtual puzzles each day.

For our fifth anniversary, we wanted to do something special, just the two of us. After a flurry of last-minute planning, we ended up booking a weekend in New York City. The last time Pete and I visited New York was for my 30th birthday. I was pregnant, but most people didn't know yet. I woke up on my birthday at 5AM to watch the Royal Wedding, then we hopped on a plane to the big city.

This time was different. We packed Eli up to spend the weekend with his grandparents, and since this is the longest we've been away from him, there was a fair bit of anxiety on our part. I made Eli a countdown calendar so he could see how many days remained until we got back. I'm pretty sure he didn't give a hoot about us going away - it was a little vacation for him, too.

On Friday we were up at some ungodly hour to fly to New York. We got there midmorning, dropped our bags at the hotel, and spent the next couple of hours grabbing takeout and wandering to Central Park to eat. Once we'd checked in and gotten cleaned up and organized, we headed to Brooklyn where we spent some time wandering around the neighbourhoods before walking over the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. The weather was perfect and the sunset? Come onnn. Like something out of a movie. We finished up the evening with pizza at Lombardi's (so good) and dessert and champagne back at the hotel.

Saturday, we slept in a little, lingered over some breakfast, and spent the morning doing some shopping. We visited the New York Public Library (you know, "the" library) in the afternoon and then headed to Central Park for a run - this has been on my bucket list for ages. Saturday night was dinner at a French bistro followed by Les Miserables on Broadway, probably my favourite show ever.

On Sunday we had to leave our hotel midmorning to get back to the airport, so we didn't get a chance for more than breakfast and a quick walk to say goodbye to one of our favourite cities. We got home to see that Eli had been a superstar the whole time we were gone. Nothing like that first hug at the airport after a couple days away to reinforce how much you love your little man.

It was a perfect little getaway for us and just the thing to celebrate five big years as Smug Marrieds.






In case you're interested in places to sleep and eat...

We stayed at the Sofitel
We ate dinners at Lombardi's and Un Deux Trois
Breakfast at Gaby is not to be missed!

We've gone apple picking as a family every October since Eli was born. This was his third trip to the orchard and once again we had a fantastic time filling our bag with fresh apples, sampling a few on the way, and plotting some of the delicious goodies we'll make from our harvest (this year: apple butter, applesauce, apple crisp, and maybe some muffins? Plus plenty for snacks with almond butter). Apples just taste better when they're straight off the tree.

Making : Spotify playlists. Any suggestions I should check out? 
Cooking : Last night I did one-pot pumpkin pasta. I recommend. I did mix it up a wee bit - sauteed some mushrooms to throw in, and when I realized I didn't have any parsley on hand, I threw on some chopped walnuts instead. I ain't mad at it. 
Drinking : Coffee with nutmeg + cream. 
Reading: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I've read the other two books in the trilogy so it's just time. 
Wanting: to get a head start on my Christmas shopping sooner than later. Too soon, perhaps...I want to get it over with so we can just enjoy the season when it's here. 
Looking: for a 'big boy bed' for Eli. Twin size with drawers underneath for storing his million little toys and books and socks would be ideal. 
Playing: not enough. 
Wasting: veggies - but not for long. Ordering some of these genius little Food Huggers! 
Sewing: hahaha 
Wishing: I had skinnier calves. I just bought some riding boots online, they arrived, and I can't even pull them on. Fingers crossed the shoe repair shop can work some magic.  
Enjoying: the beautiful weather we've been having. Fall perfection. 
Waiting: for the long weekend ahead - Thanksgiving dinner, apple picking, all sorts of fall goodness. 
Liking: Banks' Goddess album. Kinda moody music that's great for listening to while working. 
Wondering: what to make for dinner tonight. I was thinking veggie burgers and butternut squash but a friend posted about grilled cheese with apple slices recently and now I'm like, yep, I could handle that. 
Loving: Orange is the New Black on Netflix. Only three episodes left, then what will I do? 
Hoping: for a little downtime this long weekend. We've been go-go-go lately so it would be nice to have some time to just relax with the boys.  
Marveling: that it's already practically the middle of October. September didn't even happen, right? 
Needing: to clean our house, make an eye appointment, take Eli to the dentist, and just generally start acting like an adult and get my act together.
Smelling: garlic on my hands from last night's dinner prep - still. Yes, I showered. 
Wearing: black skinnies, gray booties, short-sleeve tweed sweater, and a big-ass bracelet that's making typing difficult. 
Following: @newyorkcity on Instagram for some trip inspiration - we'll be there in just over a week! 
Noticing: it's almost lunch time, aka gym time. BodyPump today, my favourite class. But a big part of me would rather just stay at the office and plow into my leftover pasta. 
Knowing: you can't change people and it's useless to try. 
Thinking: about Eli's third birthday in November. We have zero planned - time to get cracking. 
Feeling: a little sleepy. Ready for a break. Hungry (always) #permahunger
Bookmarking: Halloween costumes for toddlers. Eli's changed his mind from being a "ghoster" to a "little knight" to today, a pirate. 
Opening: oh so many 'sale' emails: my weakness. 
Giggling: at this photo that was in my Twitter stream this morning. Back story, a deer was spotted running around on one of the busiest downtown streets in the wee hours this morning. Doe-nair. I die.