Monday Musings: Week 11

Welcome back to Monday Musings.  I took a bit of a break as October got a little busy with Thanksgiving and then a road trip to Cape Breton for a friend's wedding at beautiful Cabot Links. We loved our time at the Links and hope that we can get back there next summer.  The rooms were lovely and clean and the food was outstanding.

While in Inverness we enjoyed the Dancing Goat Café for a gorgeous breakfast and take-away treats.  We also dined in the Cabot Bar and at Panorama (both at Cabot Links) for the wedding feast.  My husband's mind was blown by their Duck Poutine and I finally landed in heaven via this delectable chocolate cake!

Contrary to what you may assume from reading the above, we did take a few breaks from eating. As it is pretty much a crime not to hike the Cabot Trail if you are in Cape Breton in the fall, we made sure to fit two trails into our schedule.  Below are a few snapshots from the two trails we did - Franey and Skyline.

Below are my musings from the week, happy reading!

ViralNova - 18 Paintings You Won't Believe Aren't Photographs

I am truly amazed by anyone with artistic talent.  These are all beautiful, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Stonemuse - Make Your Own Calendar

I do not speak Danish, but I can figure out how to follow a link if it leads me to beautiful paper products, especially ones that can be customized and are organizational tools!  I wasted so much time and had so much fun on this website.  So tempted to order one, will have to see if they ship to Canada!

Jamie Magazine - Quiche Leekraine

My husband is starting a new job soon, which means we will finally be on a similar schedule! Hello sleep and normal meals!  We have begun planning out our meals and are trying to add in a few choices we wouldn't normally eat, so we are giving quiche a whirl tonight.

Monday Musings: Thanksgiving Weekend

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians and Columbus Day to my American readers.  My husband and I celebrated with my family last week, which allowed us to spend quality with our fur baby this weekend. We spent most of our time doing yard work and hiking Cape Split with our little mountain dog.

Hugo absolutely loved the trail despite his exhaustion by the end.  He saw tons of squirrels, dogs, people and two horses and left completely content and muddy.

This has been the perfect holiday weekend in Nova Scotia; the weather was ideal for spending the days outside.

Here are my links for you this week ...

Girl Versus Dough - Pumpkin Coconut Yogurt Waffles

I made these for breakfast today with some leftover pumpkin from last weekend.  I did change up the recipe a little bit (substituting some protein powder instead of flour, peach yogurt instead of coconut yogurt), but these turned out absolutely amazing.  My husband ate six.  Love, love, love - would highly recommend that you try these!

PopSugar - Post Work Yoga Sequence Designed for Desk Dwellers

I bookmarked this one straight away given that I spend far too much time chained to a desk.  This will be extremely useful to me and likely to most of you.

Sarah Fit - Healthy Halloween Candy You Can Buy

I have yet to investigate the availability of some of these in Canada, but I am hoping that some have made their way up here so I can eat candy and feel a tiny bit less guilty!

Happy reading!

Lyndin

Monday Musings: Week 9

Over the weekend I ran my first 5k - the Run or Dye event in Halifax, Nova Scotia at Ski Martock. It was a great first race as the focus was fun and no one was worrying about time.  I ran the whole thing, stopped a few times to stretch out my shin splints thanks to some of those hills, but aside from that I did great.  Of course, being me, I managed to twist my ankle within 30 seconds of our heat because of a pothole, but kept on running.

Pre-race dye-fun (I cannot take credit for this photo - thanks to my running buddy!)

The highlight was the little boy dressed up as Spider Man just cruising past everyone. He couldn't have been more than six years old, but was clearly loving life and bringing a smile to everyone he passed on the trail! The other highlight was a successful run free of IBS intervention - which was enough for a celebratory happy dance for me!

Hope you had a great weekend, here are this week's links ...

The Unworldly Travelers - 5 Reasons I Will Make Travel a Priority for My Kids

I absolutely love this post and agree with her wholeheartedly.  Thanks to my parents, I have been lucky enough to travel in Canada and the United States throughout my childhood.  In addition to our family trips, my parents also encouraged me to learn a second language - being Canadian I obviously learned French.   Because of this recommendation I completed two degrees in French and had the opportunity to study abroad in France where I met my American husband.  The decision to learn another language has impacted my life in so many positive ways and has instilled in me a desire to travel, to understand other cultures and to learn about culture through another language.  For this reason, I think number three on her list is my favourite and I know that these will be words to live by as I continue through life.

Everything A La Mode - Chocolate Covered Almonds

So, if I were to have an addiction, it would be chocolate (this may already be the case).  One of my favourite spots in Halifax is the Choco-Café - they carry a ton of beautiful chocolates in addition to their café menu. My favourites are the Almondos and the Rasberry Cheesecake - but honestly, I love them all.  They also have a discount for those who work in the area - score!  My most recent discovery there is their chocolate covered almonds - with cocoa dusting!  Absolutely delicious.  My only problem is that I go there far too often, so, the link I have for you today is something that you can do at home that may compare (minimally) to the wonders of the Choco-Café (if you are ever in Halifax - you must go).

A Well Traveled Woman - If Tomorrow Women Woke Up...

This is not necessarily a post, but rather, a nugget of wisdom.  I hope you enjoy.

Happy reading!

Lyndin