One year with Findlay

Aaron and I adopted Findlay just over one year ago. When we took him home from the SPCA, I had no idea that the little black ball of fluff that was yowling in his carrier would add so much to our lives! He's so full of personality and attitude, and I'm beyond happy that he's part of our little family. After adopting Findlay, I learned that black cats are least likely to be adopted and most like to be euthanized in shelters. This is due to superstition and assumptions made about behaviour of black cats. And I find this absolutely heartbreaking. Findlay is the friendliest, happiest cat I've ever met. He was the only black kitten out of his litter at the SPCA, and he was the last one there. The others were adopted days before he was. I'm so happy that the Provincial SPCA in Dartmouth is a no kill shelter, and that we were able to bring Findlay home with us. So, I decided to share some (read: A LOT) of Findlay's kitten photos from his first month or so with us. Prepare for a cuteness overload, and keep in mind that these photos were selected from the hundreds of photos I snapped of him in those early days. I think my photos of him have gotten much better with time, but I still love looking back at how tiny he was!

Afternoon tea

Today was the first day of school, and my first day with my grade 6 class. I'm so excited to be student teaching in such a great class. I really couldn't be happier. Unwinding now with tea and good music.

Grey mornings

I love having coffee on grey mornings. Especially with ocean views as an added bonus.

Cupcakes

While my parents were visiting, we sampled all the cupcakes that Aaron's mom and I have been making to test recipes for the wedding. I am extremely happy to report that they are all delicious. In the photo above, you can see four of our five flavours! A few of them need a tiny bit of adjusting, but that's to be expected. Perhaps I will post the recipes once we have them down perfectly.

The perfect little house

One of my absolute favourite books when I was little was Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. It inspired my life plan: travel the world, then live in a little house by the sea, and lastly and most importantly, do something to make the world a better or more beautiful place. I'm still working on the traveling and figuring out the best way to make the world a better place, but I think I have found the perfect little home by the sea. The downstairs is all open living space with huge windows facing the ocean, and the upstairs is a giant loft. I think this house was made for me.

Wild roses

Wild roses grow all over the place in Nova Scotia. I think they are the best smelling roses ever, especially when their floral scent is combined with the smell of the ocean.

Summer mornings

Perfect summer mornings include fresh flowers from the garden and homemade lattes.