The Passionate Voice

The Sunday 7

• Lifestyle

  1. If you follow me on Instagram, you have saw what travels I got up too today on a random Sunday drive. Hint, it included discovering this Flea market pictured above, in my the backyard of my hometown that I’ve drove by a million times. Found some pretty cute antique pieces too #ExploreYourOwnBackyard
  2. Also on our Sunday drive, we stopped in at this amazingly cute and homey coffee shop in Warkworth, ON, Our Lucky Stars. Definitely coming back for another cup of coffee soon, so glad we stopped in!
  3. As a women who loves and works in politics, if you are in and around the Guelph area and want to attend a campaign school for those interested in politics, check out this event being offered at City Hall.
  4. I recently had a salad that had a beautiful looking veggie in it that I had no clue what it was. How did I not know before now, what a watermelon radish was? #facepalm Perfectly summed up, “If Cinderella were a vegetable, she’d be a watermelon radish.”
  5. This dreamy backyard porch oasis has me dreamin’ of warmer, sunnier temps where I can be blogging from my backyard. #SpringSoonPlease?
  6. I already had enough reasons to love the stationery line, Rifle Paper Co, but now I see why the stationery is so brilliant, after seeing this home tour of the mastermind behind the brand.
  7. Have a long drive coming up? Listen to this ‘How I Built This’ podcast with Kate & Andy Spade, the husband-wife duo behind the famous brand, Kate Spade. Thanks for the reco, Sarah 🙂

A Blanket of Calmness & Clarity

• Lifestyle

This past weekend marked the first big snow fall of the season back at home on the farm and across much of Ontario. Who knew Ontario could (still) be host to this much snow early in December and -20 degree temperatures?! I thought this type of winter was something only my in-laws experienced in ‘Winter-peg” Manitoba in December.

There is nothing better than being in the countryside to take in the first snowfall to unofficially mark the start of winter. Blake is in awe. You can see through his eyes, the newfound magic of seeing snow for the first time. The sounds he makes as he screams (in joy I hope?! ha) watching the white stuff fall has been one of the coolest things to experience with him. I am beginning to understand why parents say they get to relive everything over again when you watch and experience everything for the first time through your children’s eyes.

There is something about the first snowfall of winter that I SO welcome. It is so calming; looking out of the window and seeing the snow settled on the ground, like a warm blanket comforting the earth.

Its reason #93746284758 to love living in Canada because I really do love the change in seasons. Each season provides just enough time for us to enjoy its welcomed differences from the last season, before we get bored with it and then all of a sudden, a new season is upon us. I love how different each season is; how each season renews us; and how each season allows us to do something completely different. Hard to believe only four months ago you could have found me on the water in a bathing suit on a dock and now we’re zipped up in parkas in freezing cold temps.

I think that is the whole point of each new season – each season ushers in a different feeling for us.

For me, spring brings a fresh awareness of everything new around us; summer makes me want to relax; fall provides perspective and winter is for hibernation and much needed silence, calmness and reflection after a busy year.

Each year seems to get busier and busier, so winter and its calmness and clarity (and chance to catch up on sleep!) really are welcomed. Similar to the animal kingdom, it really is a time to hibernate by getting in our comfy clothes, watching more netflix, reading more books (that we’ve put off reading all year), eating all the treats our heart desires and spending time with our favourite people.

After the craziness of becoming a first time mom earlier this year, for some reason more than any other year, I am SO ready for this winter season. How about you?!

Sunday’s are for Thanks

• Inspiration, Lifestyle, Social Media

Sunday’s for me are a day of reflection and for gratitude. I realize everyday we must be grateful but Sunday’s in particular allows us peace, calmness and clarity to see through the busyness of life to realize how fortunate we are. I think we all struggle with gratefulness in some form or another – especially in the social media age of keeping up with everyone’s perfected instagrammed lives, it can be hard to keep our brains focused on what it is in our lives that is good.

For the first time in a while, we weren’t road warriors this weekend with Blake. We stayed put and enjoyed the things that we love about the city we live in. It made me appreciate the small things we did that had such a big impact on why our weekend was so awesome. Here is just a sample of our weekend that has me full of gratitude….

  • The best news from friends
  • Catch ups with friends by a fire outdoors, reminding us of the last few summer weekends we have
  • Free tomatoes from a stranger/neighbour down the road whose garden was too plentiful… something I think many gardeners experienced this year with their tomato crops
  • Trying this alternative version of a 7-layer dip from Alberta Milk that was super quick to make (still haven’t tried it, its chilling in the fridge!) and a new chocoloate zucchini bread recipe (baking in the oven as we speak!)
  • Sunflowers to brighten the kitchen table
  • Watching your newborn discover new sights and sounds in the most simplest things
  • Prepping for an upcoming social media presentation this week and loving every minute of it!
  • Working on an exciting social media project that captures the social media usage of Ontario agriculture stakeholders.. its in its early stages but the results are going to be interesting to say the least (have I mentioned how much I love figures and stats when it comes to social media?!)
  • Reading Magnolia Journal on a Sunday morning with a coffee in hand and a sleeping baby in my arms
  • A bike ride on the most gorgeous Sunday evening… this weather couldn’t be more perfect!
  • Fulfilling my promise at the beginning of the week of blogging every day this week which I am happy to report I did.. 7 for 7! And the best part?! More ideas are a brewin’ so watch for more to come!

I’m trying my hardest this year to practice gratitude, its why I’m proud to have kept up with my commitment and one of my goals for this year of writing down one thing each day I’m grateful for. Let’s just say that my #365DaysofGratitude jar is overflowing. I can’t wait to read them all at the end of the year.

A line from the latest Magnolia Journal said it best, “Gratitude turns what you have into enough.” Amen to that. Happy Sunday!

“Gratitude turns what you have into enough.”

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What a Day in Toronto (with a Baby) Will Remind You

• Communication, Lifestyle, Making a Difference

When you visit Toronto as a tourist, it is a whole different feeling than when you hustle and work in the city as I do. In July, I did what every new mama would think to do, and spent a day in Toronto with our newborn Blake. Can you sense my sarcasm? Ha!

A crazy idea as a new mom, I know or at least, I thought. But I wanted to take advantage of Blake being a newborn, manageable baby and introduce him to colleagues and friends while taking in a city that has become a staple in my daily routine the past 3 years.

Doing a day trip too by myself with our newborn was also a way to get out of the house and feel independent again. Why not take advantage of public transportation and the sunny summer weather and enjoy a day in the city to surround myself with my old habitat and take in sights that would be new for the babe.

As I wade into the waters of this whole motherhood thing, I’m realizing there are so many small details in our everyday that we do so easily and take for granted. Things that as a new mom, you quickly learn to have a new appreciation for.

Drinking coffee – while holding a newborn in your arms. Getting ready quicker than before – with a newborn (impatiently) waiting. Realizing that not forgetting diapers and wipes is as important now as not forgetting your purse/keys when you leave home.

A day trip to Toronto also quickly reminds you to be grateful for these small details.

My recent trip to Toronto restored my faith in humanity.

It reminded me of the kind gestures that can mean so much to someone, including this new mom. The ladies on the train who offered to help me. The man who helped get our stroller off the train. People on the sidewalk who helped to make it easier to navigate a stroller in the city. Complete strangers smiling when they saw me with the baby. Striking up conversations in checkout lines with people I didn’t know, but who were inquisitive and interested in Blake.

The day trip to the city reminded me of so many little things to be grateful for.

How much I love Toronto. How kind the people are. How revisiting places like the CN Towner, Hockey Hall of Fame and St. Lawrence Market to introduce them to your baby can feel like your experiencing them all over again for the first time. How smiling is such a strong form of communication. How good it feels when a complete stranger smiles at you and you know why. The feeling you get as a new mama when you realize that you CAN and in fact DID navigate the ‘big smoke.’

And does it ever feel good to know that even while navigating the new world of motherhood, a day trip to Toronto can make you feel independent again and remind you that you CAN do anything if you set your mind to it.

Thanks for the time Toronto, we’ll be back again soon.

[Top Photo Source]

Chill, 2017

• Lifestyle

August happenings – 1. I never take for granted the feeling I get experiencing the views from our dock on the Trent / 2. Setting up the sweet corn stand on the farm brought out that entrepreneurial spirit in me similar to the lemonade stand / 3. Opening our doors to the public and our agricultural community to celebrate our new robotic dairy barn was such an awesome experience / 4. The #Canada150 (free!) National Park initiative prompted us to visit Point Peelee National Park, Canada’s most southernmost point while we were visiting southwestern Ontario.

When September rolls around, I feel like the new year is sneaking around the corner, ready to make its appearance sooner than we’d like. This year is no different. Where is 2017 going.. I feel like it just started?!

As I’ve blogged about before, September also feels like a second chance to (finally) get around to accomplishing your new years goals because it feels like another fresh start to the year. And because there is a looming deadline fast approaching. September is like New Years 2.0.

Summer is typically a quieter time for me professionally. Fall is when things amp up since harvest time is a staple in the agricultural calendar, the industry I work in. But this year, it appears that due to side business hustles, lots of life happenings… and oh, a little thing called motherhood, this summer has ushered in a new sense of busyness that I’ve never experienced before.

Thanks to this busyness, I’ve learned to be OK with slacking on my #blog452 commitment in the month of August. But, to make up for this, I’m doing something I’ve never done before on the blog… I’m going to blog everyday this week!

Look forward to reading about my whereabouts lately, some goings on and the latest on my #passionatevoice adventures.

Check back on the blog this week, lots of good stuff coming at ya!