Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Today was one of those perfect winter days: cold, but sunny with bright blue skies. It was a great day for a family walk in the ravine behind our house. My parents and our 13-year-old niece joined the four of us and Daisy. 

The last few years we've had very little snow but so far this winter we've had TONNES of snow. It made for a challenging but lovely trek in the forest.

It was also a great opportunity for my 19-year-old son to test out the camera he got for his birthday. He took a gazillion photos during our walk and I'm looking forward to seeing them. In the meantime, here are a few of my favourite pictures from today.

The photographer. 

That first hill is a bit of a challenge.

The girls. I love how it looks like my niece is dancing in this shot.

You can't really tell from this photo, but we made Daisy wear a sweater. She spent the first ten minutes rolling around in the snow, trying to remove it. 

I know I've said this before, but I am so thankful for the beautiful ravine forest in our neighbourhood! 

A Walk in the Forest with Daisy and her Buddy

One of the reasons we bought our house about 15 years ago was because of the stunning ravine forest which is right behind our backyard. We have been going for walks on the ravine's trails since the kids were little. It is truly a paradise for nature-loving people and, especially, their dogs. 

For a few years now I've been meeting a good friend for a walk in the forest on Sunday afternoons. Unless life gets in the way, we escape for about an hour with Daisy and Mustee. It's a great way for us to talk about what's going on in our lives and to get fresh air and exercise at the same time. The bonus is that Daisy and Mustee have a blast together. As soon as Daisy sees Mustee at the front door she knows it means only one thing: Walk! It's all I can do to keep her calm enough to put on her leash. Once we're in the forest though, the leash comes off and they are free!

Daisy and Mustee, best buddies.

Happy dogs. There's so much good sniffing to do in the forest.

The dogs like to lead the way on the paths.

The trees are bare but I still find the forest beautiful in November. 

 I just love the sound of walking on dry leaves. Pretty soon, the ground will be covered with snow. 

The only downside to the walk, is how dirty the dogs get. Not sure if you can tell from this photo that Daisy is absolutely filthy. She's not a big fan of bath time, however it's a must after running around in the forest.

Scenes from the Weekend

A few cappuccinos were consumed. This penguin mug makes me smile.

I made applesauce. It was so quick and easy, it made me wonder why I've been buying it all these years.

Daisy got a rubber chicken. Squeak, squeak.

And I bought a new skirt from Joe Fresh. Black lace over beige lining, scalloped hem and ribbon waist. And the best part? It was only $39. Isn't Joe Fresh awesome? You go to the grocery store to pick up some coffee and cereal and you come back with a pretty skirt!

I read the December issue of Vanity Fair, cover to cover. Now I'm all caught up on the 
goings-on of wealthy, eccentric people.

And after that, it was on to the Holiday Edition of Food and Drink. The entire magazine is chock-full of delicious recipes and stunning photographs. One recipe I really want to try is the Milk Chocolate Lemon Meringue Tarts. They look absolutely droolworthy.

 

Mid-November means switching over to our cozy L.L.Bean flannel sheets. The only problem is that it makes getting out of bed in the morning that much harder. 

Sunday afternoon, Daisy went for a walk in the forest with her best buddy, Mustee.

Here's to a fun and relaxing weekend. Hope yours was too. Monday morning, I'm ready for you!

Meet Daisy Belle

This is Daisy the cockapoo. She's been with our family since 2004. That means she's now a senior dog, but you sure wouldn't know it by looking at her. People still assume she's a puppy when they first meet her. She's just so full of raw enthusiasm. 

A friend said to me very recently: "You just can't help but fall in love with Daisy." And I agree. She's not the best behaved dog in the world (even though she did get an A at puppy training) but she is most definitely one of the sweetest! 

This is Daisy's favourite spot. From this position on top of the ottoman she can watch over her domain and see the front door. She normally sits and waits until all her people are safely inside the house.

She is multi-talented...Daisy the surfing dog.

Daisy, as a puppy. In this case, the kids were able to tell the teacher that the dog ate their homework and it was true! See, I told you she wasn't very well-behaved. 

Again, here she is showing off her rebel side. She is looking straight at me and seems to be saying: "What? You got a problem with me sitting on the table, lady?" 

Anyone who knows Daisy also knows that she LOVES her ball. This dog would rather go without eating than go without her ball. You don't think I'm serious? Just ask anyone who's thrown the ball 50 times in a row and asked: "Does she ever get tired of fetching that thing?" The answer would be no, no she doesn't!

Sometimes we think we should have called her Houdini because she is quite the escape artist. She figured out a while ago that she could sneak out of the yard to visit her doggy friends by squeezing through the fence posts. I don't know how many times I sheepishly answered the front door to find a neighbour holding Daisy in their arms. 

Recently though, my son and husband fixed her little wagon by lining the fence with wire mesh. Please don't give her any wire cutters, she'll know what to do with them!