Calling All Tooth Fairies

Does anyone know if the Tooth Fairy carries around a tooth detector?  She will have to work a bit harder than usual for Seamus' lost front tooth after he accidentally dropped it in the lawn.  He was having a bit of trouble searching properly for it since Pecky Becky kept chasing him out of the backyard.  Hopefully the Tooth Fairy has more luck.

Sundae Wednesday

Seamus: "What is sundae's favourite day of the week?"
Mama: "Wednesday, obviously."

Sometimes you just need a good sundae to celebrate making it through hump day.

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Waffles

I cannot possibly be the only person who gets inspired during their morning Facebook scroll.  Today's ah-ha moment was the autumn-inspired breakfast of Pumpkin Spice Waffles.  They looked so good that we needed to try them immediately!  On a weekday!  They were quick to mix up and certainly did not disappoint.

All three boys went to school with extra full bellies today!

Recipe: Gael Glen Farm's Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Waffles

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 farm fresh eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup walnuts
oodles of homemade maple syrup

Beauty Abounds

It is an incredible time of year to be outside.  Beauty abounds - morning, noon and night.

Wild raspberries are always a delight.

Don't Rain on Our PD Day

"William Lyon Mackenzie King, 

He sat in the middle and played with string, 

He loved his mother like anything, 

William Lyon Mackenzie King"

   -Dennis Lee

In spite of the gloomy weather, the big boys were determined not to miss out on a PD Day adventure.

 

And so, we found ourselves hiking up a mountain in Gatineau Park for the second time on this long (for us) weekend.  This time we sought out waterfalls and some history at the Mackenzie King estate.  Learning is an adventure, don't ya know?!

We had to climb over a guard rail to get to the trail head.
This was Seamus' favourite part of the whole hike.

Slow flowing waterfall.
I am sure it is more impressive in the springtime.

TUNNEL!!!

There was lots to see on the Mackenzie King estate.

Beautifully manicured flower gardens.

Diana's mirror did not transport Liam and Seamus
 to the land of the fey as promised.
Though Seamus does look worried.

The Abbey.

The forge.

After lunch we found ourselves some mushrooms and a light sprinkling of rain.

It was wonderful to rewind to our summer treks in the forest.  The only missing link was Alistair who went to daycare today to keep him in routine.  We all felt a bit guilty about this but Alistair was super happy at afternoon pick up telling us that he had a wonderful time playing with his "amis".   

And so it seems that with a little history lesson, some comedic poetry and a short hike up a mountain, a good time was had by all - even if Mother Nature did insist on raining on our PD Day.

Likin' the Lichen

The weather was a bit spotty today but Liam and I were still able to make it out for a quick hike in the Carp Barrens.  It is a very pretty place.  We highly recommend this short and easy local trail.

Of course, Liam noticed an old mica mine.
He is very good at spotting slag piles and the telltale
shiny shards of mica on the ground.

Juniper berries.

Lots of lichen.  Too bad there were no reindeer to eat it.

The moss was so, so green.

Lily pads by the thousands.

Marshy.

Some fall colours finally!

Storm clouds rolling in. 
We got rained on just a little bit.

Sometimes short and easy is exactly what you need.
We burned just enough calories for a small piece of...

...our post-hike snack: butter tart brownies.