Sayonara summer, Hello fall fun!

Over the past month we have been so busy, I feel as though I've barely had a minute to sit, write and catch up. There have been so many wonderful places to visit, festivals to attend and of course, the hustle and bustle of every day life. Here's what we've been up too.....

Labour Day weekend was a lot of fun for us. We packed up and headed to Kingston on Saturday. I am usually pretty organized and plan out our weekends well in advance. This tends to irritate Nick sometimes, as he is more of a 'go with the flow' type of guy We threw caution to the wind, made no plans and just drove west. Nick had heard about a cafateria-style resturaunt called The Golden Rooster, on Princess Street. We parked,walked a few blocks and settled in. I had the medium-rare roast beef sandwich, Nick had the chicken pot pie and my oldest had a fruit salad and some fries. Ah, the life and diet of a three year old. The food was great and the ambience reminded me of Schwartz's in Montreal. If you are in Kingston, check it out.

With a great lunch behind us, we headed out for some exploring downtown. Kingston is a stones throw from Brockville and reminds me so much of our beautiful city. I follow a frozen yogurt shop called Menchies on Twitter (@MenchiesKtown) so I had to check it out in person while in town . We found it easily and were excited for a treat after a fabulous lunch, walk and shopping. I loved the lime green backsplash, colourful letters and overall decor. What a fun and welcoming place! Oh, and the froyo was also delish!

Sunday was my turn to "plan" and I had read about North Augusta's Labour Day festivities. We got there in time to grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant called "Woody's"; most of you likely know it at one time as 'Frank's', which has since switched owners. The food is homestyle and you wont go hungry. We took in the car show, the bouncy castles, some of the softball games and a quick play at the park. North Augusta is small town but they know how to throw a great Labour Day festival!

The following week flew by, although that may have been because Spencerville Fair was just around the corner. I have been attending this fair since I was a little girl and my family horse Irish used to lead the parade back in the 80s. The parade and all things associated with the fair make up some of my favourite childhood memories It was only natural that, for the past few years, I have been taking my children. This year, due to the rainy weather we only made it to the parade. As always, it didn't disappoint. Our girls had a ton of laughs, got too much candy and even snuck in a visit with their favorite Auntie Chelle! No rain could dampen our Spencerville Fair spirit!

How did you wrap up summer and what local fall evens do you look forward to each year? Love to hear from you!

Ride 'em Cowboy!

There were so many great family activities this past weekend. The Delta Fair, The Spencerville Stampede, McKenna's Dream in Lansdowne and Wheels A'Churnin in North Augusta, to name just a few.

 On Saturday, we chose to head to Gananoque to the splash pad, as the kids had been begging to go back since seeing it when we were there last weekend, at the Gananoque Pirate Festival. We headed home for a special dinner that our friends were making for us. It was a treat to have authentic Indian cuisine that my friend Monica prepared. She is such a talented cook and Indian food is now one of my new favourites.

Sunday, we were up and out the door early. Our children were excited to see the stampede that Spencerville was hosting for the first time this year. It was sunny and hot and the perfect day for it. The event's website mentioned a mechanical bull and pony rides for the children, so both Nick and the kids were looking forward to this. Unfortunately, upon our arrival, we found out that these attractions weren't happening. Nick was more disappointed than the girls were. The day turned out to be a ton of fun regardless. We had great food and so much fun watching the talented "Stampeders". Great job Spencerville, we hope to be back next year!


Here's a collection of snapshots from our busy, fun and local weekend.

Cheap eats & local treats!

Monday night, what’s for dinner? I took to Twitter to find a few ideas using the popular hashtag #WFD  There was nothing that jumped out at me, until I came across local resto, Buds on The Bay and remembered I had a promotional certificate for a free steak dinner. We only had our oldest daughter with us that night (pre-baby Remy's arrival!) and decided to pop in and check out the new menu and use our certificate. 

When we arrived it wasn't busy and we were quickly seated. It soon became clear that everyone had the same idea to jump on-board this fabulous promotion.  Our daughter had the grilled cheese and garden salad from the kids menu, Nick ordered a turkey sandwich on artisan bread with apple slices and a side of soup and I used the certificate and had the 8oz. Steak, mushrooms, rice and asparagus. We didn’t wait long, which was great because we were very hungry. 

The presentation was fantastic, the portions were not sparse and above all the food was delicious! Our picky tot ate most of her dinner, Nick raved about his healthy choice, which made me happy as it didn’t come smothered in gravy and I finished my dinner happily full.  I think Buds hit the nail on the head with this promotion as the restaurant was filling up with patrons as we were heading out.  Every month they have something new to offer and if you are looking for a family and budget friendly dinner out, head down to Buds on The Bay and enjoy!

It seemed to be the week for great dinners and deals. The following Saturday evening, The Augusta Township Volunteer Firefighters held a fundraising pancake dinner at the North Augusta Fire Hall. The cost was $5.00 per person and children were free. 

Along with my grandparents, Nick and I took our oldest and headed out to support the men and women who volunteer everyday to protect us and our community. This is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts, as my father-in-law is a volunteer fireman in Quesnel, British Columbia and has put his life on the line many times over to help others. I also have a few friends who volunteer on the Augusta Fire department so we wanted to come out and show our full support.

It was clear that the small town of North Augusta has big heart. Everyone was out to show their gratitude for their local volunteers. Cars lined the roads and the hall filled up quickly. Upon entering, the smell of fresh, local maple syrup filled the air and the tables were packed with happy families. Sparky the Dog was in attendance greeting the children, which I thought would thrill my daughter. Instead she clung to daddy and waited patiently for her pancakes. Although there was a good turnout, the line moved quickly. So many pancakes, sausages, homemade beans....I couldn’t wait to dig in.We found a free spot, settled in and enjoyed this comfort food treat. Before I realized it, our plates were empty!  

A good friend of mine, who has now dedicated two years to the Augusta Fire Department, came by to say hello and to offer us a tour of the fire truck that was just purchased by the department. We jumped at the chance.  Our oldest, with Daddy in tow quickly climbed into the back of the new truck to check it out. She was in awe of how big the truck was and thought it was very cool to have her own tour. A huge thank you to my friend Jake, who took the time to help us get involved, answer questions and make it important and easy for our three year old to learn about the courage and dedication that our friends, neighbours and family members show when they volunteer with their community fire departments.  If you get the chance, head out and support these wonderful people in their next fundraiser. 

This week we realized there are so many delicious places in the area that don’t require breaking the bank with our growing family! More importantly, these local establishments and events give us an opportunity to experience our community together while still making (somewhat!) healthy food choices. 

p.s. Due to some technology-related hiccups, I was unable to post pics of our great meal or visit to the North Augusta Fire Hall....keep an eye out, I'll share as soon as possible!