Cherry Blossoms in Toronto

Ah, cherry blossoms. One of my absolute favorite things about spring. I only wish they were not so short-lived. On Friday, we drove out to Exhibition Place in Toronto to take in all of the beautiful cherry blossoms. All of the crowds go to High Park, but thanks to a tip on Twitter, I went to a lesser known spot. I only saw two other people there to take pictures during the entire time I was there and this allowed me to get front row seats on any tree I wanted. No crowds makes a happy photographer and Wendy.

The Canadian flag in the background was a happy little accident!

To see more of my pictures of the blossoms, you can visit my lifestyle blog!

Blue Mountain Village

My husband and I went to The Blue Mountains, Ontario for our anniversary trip this year. We always go somewhere that at least one of us has not been before. It's one of my favorite traditions that we have! This year we traveled a short distance of two hours to this quaint and picturesque little ski village. I could not narrow down what photographs to show, so there is more on my main blog here and here.

We had a wonderful view of the Village and the ski hills from our hotel room at the Westin Trillium House.

I can't say I love skiing as I have never done it. But my husband had a drink at Starbucks with whipped cream on top, so this counts as a suitable souvenir. Girl logic. I can't say no to Christmas ornaments and this is going to look so pretty on our tree and remind us of the fun we had on our 9th wedding anniversary!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Do food coloring stains count as wearing green? I'm safe from pinches now, right?!

Sunday Brunch

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is Sunday brunch. Or Saturday brunch. I'm not picky when it comes to brunch. But one of my favorite choices to have is quiche, even better when it is the mini sized ones in different toppings. It must be a scientific fact by now that smaller sizes are more delicious- look at fun-sized candy bars and cupcakes, for instance. Who's with me?!

Quiche for days. Makes those weekend food comas worth it.

Happy 2015!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break and that 2015 has started out well for you. 2014 flew by! I'm in that mixed state of emotions where I really miss the Christmas decorations and where I am happy to have my house back to normal. Every picture taken with a Christmas tree in the background makes me happy, so I'll miss that. Is it ok that I pondered leaving my tree up all year? No? Didn't think so. Don't worry, it's in storage now so I didn't go through with it. I'm not completely crazy.

I shall end this post with my adorable Indy Santa Paws - complete with his little white beard. I hope to update this blog more this year and on its associated social media sites! Have a great weekend!

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Watching the Leaves Change

If there is two things I love about my new living quarters, it would be that our condo faces the woods and I was finally able to get a dog. Those two things almost make dealing with horrible neighbors worth it. Almost. I have often felt my most happiest outdoors- at a lake, ocean, in the trees, at the top of a mountain. I love it!

So I have absolutely been enjoying getting to go out on our balcony each of the four seasons and just take it all in. The snow this past winter, nature coming out of hibernation this spring, sun shining through the trees this summer, and the leaves slowly changing this fall. That last one is my favorite. I just look out and everything looks so vibrant.

Today's post combines those two things mentioned above. Me and my dog enjoying peace and serenity on the balcony, just watching the leaves sway in the chilly and crisp fall air while the squirrels gather nuts. It makes me almost forget about those horrible neighbors. Almost.

We call that white birch tree "the highway". Squirrels use it constantly to get across.

This is my dog, Indy. We rescued him on Independence Day and he's amazing. Expect a post about him!

The CNE's 2014 Flower Show

Every year in Toronto, there is an end of summer fair. You can call it the Ex or the CNE, both are acceptable. The Ex is just short for Canadian National Exhibition. They also host an annual flower and garden show. I don't have a green thumb, so I live vicariously through these gardeners! If you would like to see other pictures from my day at the Ex, just mosey on over to my other blog to read the post.

Canadian Pacific Holiday Train

We went to see the Holiday Train this past Saturday. It was the first year I had heard about it, so I was excited to hear that I hadn't missed a stop close to me. I missed it in Toronto, so we made the drive out to Hamilton, ON. Turns out that was a great choice because there was an ice carver, Tom Cochrane, and Great Big Sea as entertainment.

We actually left before Tom Cochrane to beat the crowds out and we wanted to get home at a reasonable hour. We watched Great Big Sea and they were fabulous. I really only took pictures with my iPhone because I was there to enjoy the event more than to photograph it. Honestly, with the crowd there it would be near impossible to get some great shots without heads in the way!

I wanted to share them, though. This is such a fun (and free!) thing and it has stops in Canada and the US. If it comes near you, it's worth checking out! Read more about it here.

 ^ The night started with a beautiful sunset!

 ^ The engine and front cars. All of the cars are decorated with lights and designs.

 ^ The ice sculpture.

 ^ Great Big Sea are a group from Newfoundland. My favorite song of theirs is Ordinary Day. They master fun songs!

The holiday season is here and I love it!

Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze

A fun day at a pumpkin patch just screams fall, doesn't it? This is the second pumpkin patch I have ever been to, believe it or not. My first one was back in 2010. It's safe to say that I have fallen in love with them. Put the word "pumpkin" in anything and I'm sold. Give me pumpkin everything!

Here are a few pictures from our day at Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze in Zephyr, Ontario. You can see more pictures from our day on my main blog, as well.

Canada's Baking and Sweets Show

This past weekend was the Baking and Sweets Show here. There is also an annual one in the US based in Chicago. This is my second year going and it's a fun day full of sweets! Each year, they have bakers and chefs that people know from channels like Food Network and Cooking Channel. The day I went, Buddy Valastro was scheduled. The Cake Boss, himself! How exciting!

The theme this year was Alice in Wonderland! I thought I would show a few of my favorite cakes from their cake competition. These bakers and designers are amazing. If I tried fondant, I'm sure it would look like the Play-Doh masterpiece of a three year old!

Adventures at Toronto's Centre Island

We went to Toronto's Centre Island on Sunday and had a blast! Yep, Toronto actually has a group of islands and they offer an amazing view of our skyline. This post goes with today's post on my main blog, so to see more pictures from the day- click here. It's worth it! ;)

Garden Show

These were taken at the CNE this year for the garden show! I have never seen such gorgeous flowers. Some must have been hybrids, because they were so unique and breathtaking. Ah, if only I had a green thumb instead of a black one. I just have to look at a flower the wrong way and it threatens to wilt!

Summer Daisies Wallpaper

I made this wallpaper for my own laptop and thought that I would share it! The picture takes you to the Flickr page where there are many different size options. Feel free to use it for personal use and I hope you like it. :)

After the Rain

It was a torrential downpour for part of yesterday, but I took advantage of one of the moments the rain stopped to take some pictures of my MIL's garden. I love rain and raindrops. 

Around the Garden

I've changed the layout and added new Pinterest buttons. All you have to do is hover over the pictures and click "Pin It" to add it to your boards! Hope the layout loads properly for everyone.

Here are a few recent pictures that I have snapped around my MIL's garden!

Lacrosse Ball

I went to an open practice of my favorite lacrosse team, the Toronto Rock. If you are located in or near Toronto, check them out. I've become one of their biggest fans and it only took one game to get me hooked! Lacrosse is an amazing sport that needs and deserves a lot more attention than it gets. Whoa, wait...I'm going off on a tangent. Sorry about that! ;)

At the practice, I caught my first lacrosse ball! I was so excited that I had to take a picture right after it happened. It's a lot bigger and heavier than I thought it would be. I cannot imagine how much it would sting to get hit by one. Ouch!

Lazy Cat

Not sure how I got so lucky for her not to turn her head at the last second, because about twenty other shots show me her right or left side or a blur of motion! Jade is not camera shy...I think she just likes to annoy me. She succeeds. ;)

Tomato Plant

Are you guys aching for warmer weather yet? Cannot say that I am. I love colder weather! But I do miss being able to get out and take pictures of local gardens!

Sunflowers

Still one of my favorite flowers, especially to photography!

Sleepy Raccoon

Taken at Toronto Zoo, February 2012. This cute little fuzzball was cuddled up against the log and soaking up the warm sun!