Phantom Farm

I like to think that I am a brave person, but really, when it comes to really scary things, I am just a wimp. I cry like a baby when I am scared. Actually, first I laugh hysterically. And then I cry. A lot.

Phantom Farm, located north of Port Hope, Ontario is by far one of the scariest things I have experienced in my life. I've been through the silly haunted rooms at Canada's Wonderland, Wasaga Beach and Center Island. I experienced some scary themed ordeal at Universal Studio's in California. I've been through many Hallowe'en haunted houses in my lifetime. Some cheesy. Some decent. But only one terrifying.

I know that the people involved are of course just in costume but for some reason, when you're in the middle of a barn that is pitch black, with just the sound of rattling chains and cold hands grabbing at your legs, you forget about the costumes. It's ridiculous, really. The only time I have ever been to Phantom Farm I dragged some poor man through the entire tour with me. I didn't pull him along, I literally dragged him. He was falling, begging me to let go, pleading that I slow down. By the end of the tour he was soaked with my tears. My Aunt and Uncle (whose dear friends own the farm) had forewarned the staff that I would be going through that night so they were all on the look out for me to ensure that I was terrified. They did a superb job of that. Around each corner I ran into someone who knew who I was and did everything possible to frighten me. As my Aunt laughed in hysterics, the poor guy that I was dragging through continued to plead. I buried my face in his chest, pulled on his arm, made him fall, trip and stumble. The poor guy! I threatened to hit every costumed being that I encountered and screamed enough for an army of fifty 12 year old girls.

This month we will be going back to experience the "fun". I'm not excited at all nor do I want to go. I have already decided that I will not be taking the barn trip but I am considering (I can't emphasize that enough!!) the hay ride through the haunted forest but the barn is just too much for me to handle.

If you enjoy being spooked and love all things Hallowe'en, Phantom Farm is definitely for you! People from all over Canada and the U.S. make a point to go to the farm each year. It is only open until the last week of October, so if you have the chance and crave a terrifying experience you should really swing by to enjoy the "fun".

...But don't say that I didn't warn you...

Happy almost Hallowe'en!

xTx

Five ★ Sunday - Hello Autumn, I Have Missed You xo

Five ★ Sunday is dedicated to Autumn this week. Truthfully, I will more than likely drive you crazy with my love for this season but since it's my favourite time of the year I can't help but talk about it. Below are a few things that make me Autumn-happy.

www.beso.com

So, remember back in the day, like, prior to a few months ago when I was terrified of eBay because my identity was stolen? Well, I'm not so terrified of shopping online anymore. Actually, I think that I am now borderline addicted. Maybe acrossline addicted. Maybe just completely addicted. I am loving me some eBay and online shopping. I suppose that my identity crisis caused me to be a bit more leery but I love searching the online aisles for super cheap deals on things. When I'm bidding on eBay, I don't make big purchases at all. I always refine my searches to free shipping and start with the lowest prices listed. I have bid on and won some super cool things for less than $2.00. I love chunky cocktail rings and have scored quite a few for only $1.00. Scarves, makeup, bracelets and beret's are all in the running under $2.00 too. Deals are ridiculously exciting - which leads me to my first fav of the week.
Through my stumbling for good deals I have discovered Beso - Every online shoppers dream! Beso is an easy navigation site that links to hundreds of stores and brands which makes your shopping super fun and super easy. No matter what you are looking for, type it in the search box at the top left side of the page and a listing of the item that you are looking for will come up for purchase available from all online stores. I love that once your search results come up, there are tabs that you can click on which provide all of the deals and free shipping related to the specific item you are looking to purchase. You will also find tabs along the top of the page linking to various items on sale from 20-80% off, a brand and store directory, the Beso Blog, and quick link categories for women, men, home, kids, jewelery and beauty. Obviously this isn't one of my Autumn-ism's but I think that you should check it out!

Revlon ColorBurst™ Lipstick

I don't wear a lot of lipstick. Actually, I only own one lipstick (M.A.C. Spirit) which I rarely wear but absolutely love. I know that may sound crazy given my obsession with makeup but I've never really worn a lot of lipstick. I am a lip gloss junkie (you will find various lippies all over my house, vehicle, purses, drawers and office. I am literally the Hansel & Gretel of lippies - I leave them where ever I go) but I just don't wear lipstick.
I have full lips and I love the voluptuous look of them but I don't like to enhance them with colourful lipstick (lip gloss, yes, lipstick, no). I definitely don't wear lip liner (I don't even own one) because it adds so much definition to lips. Collaborate a bright coloured lipstick with those lined lips and you have my nightmare.
I think that this is a psychological thing. When I was 10 years old and in grade 4 I knew this girl that used to occasionally wear pink lipstick to school. When she wore it she always applied it over top of her philtrum (the area between your upper lip and your nose that has those two little vertical lines). I always thought she looked silly when she did this and one day I asked her why she wore it above her lip. Her response was: "because it is a part of my lip and I want to make my lips look big and pretty". I wasn't allowed to wear makeup until I was 16 so at 10 the thought of "big pretty lips" was nonsense to me and I thought she looked like a clown. Anyway,  I think that this may be the main reason that I don't wear a lot of lipstick.
A couple of weeks ago while I was at Shopper's Drugmart browsing the makeup section, I came across the Revlon ColorBurst line of lipstick's. I am a huge sucker for matte packaging (odd, I know) and I loved the grid pattern of the lipstick shell (odd again). Clearly I only purchased the lipstick because I liked the package (obviously my sudden urge to make a purchase based solely on the packaging is every marketer's dream) but I was actually surprised when I got home and tried the lipstick on. I paid about $13CDN (tax included) for my #70 Soft Nude purchase. It has a very smooth and creamy consistency which I like and the colour doesn't bleed onto my philtrum which means that I don't have to wear a lip liner with it (bonus). The top of the lid is the colour of the lipstick so I imagine that this would come in extra handy if you had a plethora of lip stick's in your collection and wanted to find a colour quickly. I find this lipstick has a very similar feel to the one M.A.C. lippy that I own and it is rather moisturizing. The colour that I chose is neutral and also perfect for Autumn. I give the Colorburst 5 ★'s because it has made me want to try other lipstick's. What is your favourite lipstick brand? Do share so that I can try them out!

Calgon Refreshing Body Mist - Marshmallow Scent

Another thing that I love is body spray. I have plenty of perfumes but I like that body sprays are soft and don't linger everywhere that you go for 15 minutes - because a scent that you enjoy may not be a scent that other people enjoy. For example, I am not a fan of patchouli and I can smell it from a mile away. It has to be the muskiest smell in the world, it lingers FOREVER and it kicks all of my senses in the face. Just thinking about it as I type this is making my nose hurt! So, again, my point is that what you think may smell lovely may not be so wonderful to someone else - which is why during the day I only wear body spray. My signature scent is Victoria's Secret - Vanilla Lace which I wear all of the time but I have many Calgon spray's as well. My favourite from Calgon is the Marshmallow scent. Although it doesn't really smell like roasted marshmallow's to me, it is soft and sweet scent that has notes of brown sugar, vanilla and sandalwood. Very pretty and also nice for Autumn.

Kings & Queens - Queen Isabella, Cinnamon Orange Body Milk

It is the time of year that you want to start preparing your skin for Winter weather. All skin varies, but if you are like me, I don't have to use a lot of lotion during the summer because the weather is moist with humidity but come Winter when the air is crisp and dry, my skin requires a lot of TLC. Last year around this same time, I purchased a bottle of Queen Isabella's Cinnamon Orange Body Milk by Kings & Queens - I couldn't get enough this Body Milk. It smells amazing; very spicy and warm - something you want to put on after a hot bath to cuddle up next to a fireplace sans comfy clothes and a good book. Because it is a body milk, it will not leave your skin feeling heavy; it's light, goes on smooth and soaks in quickly. Made in Greece, all Kings and Queens products are free from mineral oil and parabens and are beautifully enriched with pomegranate (which we all know is amazing), blue Egyptian lotus (which was used by Ancient Egyptians as a natural aphrodisiac) and malachite extracts (which is a strong detoxifier and antioxidant). You can conveniently purchase these lovely products (with equally lovely packaging) at Shopper's Drugmart for $10-$20CDN. Additionally, each product comes bearing a story about Royal's and Noblemen during Ancient and Medieval times who each played a part in bringing herbs and spices to the New World.

BeaverTails

I love the Byward Market in Ottawa because there are so many great shops and restaurants to be had. One of my favourite things to do on a Sunday afternoon in the Autumn is to stop by the BeaverTails shop at the corner of George St. & William St. in the Byward Market. 

BeaverTails' are a thin pastry made in the shape of a, you guessed it, beaver tail. They are each made fresh at purchase, can be ordered with various toppings and are so yummy on a cool day. Babygirl and I always order the Cinnamon & Sugar flavour - delish!

What are some of your favourite things to use or do in the Autumn?

xTx

The Parkdale Market

By mid July, our Canadian summers are always extremely hot and muggy - the type of weather that I have a love/hate relationship with and the type of weather that my hair just hates. Humidity+My Hair=Frizz. Not pretty. Fortunately this summer I found a way to tame that craziness!!

Come mid August, the weather always begins to settle down - It's still hot but the stickiness begins to dwindle. You can walk outside with no worries that your clothing is going to stick to you and your hair is going to take on a personality of its own. You don't have to worry so much about pumping the air conditioning on sonic blast the second you get to your car. Better yet, you don't have to be concerned that the air blowing sonic blast out of your car vents for the first 30 seconds isn't the temperature of 500 degrees. Those first 30 seconds are always so raunchy!
Regardless of how hot and muggly the weather, there are so many things to see and do here in The Twa. Everything from cultural festivals, boat cruises down the Rideau, camping and fishing, historical museums, beautiful parks and beaches, wine tastings, fleamarket's, sidewalk sales, live music and patio gatherings.

Since I was a little girl my favourite summertime dinner has been BBQ steak, baby potatoes (with butter and sour cream), fresh green beans, corn on the cob and cucumbers soaked in vinegar. This is why my favourite part of the summer is the abundance of roadside stands and farmer's markets that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. Coming from a country background, I have had the opportunity to visit some of the most amazing markets and stands that Ontario has to offer; which is what brings me to my excitement of the day.

Yesterday afternoon babygirl and I went to the Parkdale Market in Wellington West's area of The Twa. The air that surrounds the market is so fresh and sweet from all of the tables lined with produce straight from our local farmer's fields and gardens.

You can find the Parkdale Market at Exit 122 off of the 417. Parking is plentiful, however if you don't drive I believe that the OC Transport has a stop directly in front of the market as well. One way or another, I suggest that you find your way to this lovely piece of open air heaven.

Cutest eggplant head ever :)

I love fresh garlic so much! These rows of garlic bulbs make me smile :)

I don't know any grocery store that has produce this perfect!

So pretty! Some of the yummiest berries to be had come off of the Indian Reserves in Quebec.

Even if the prices are a tad higher that most grocers, you can bet your pretty penny that you are purchasing the best of the best from some of the friendliest farmers you will ever meet.

Bouquets of fresh flowers are available as well.

And bananas!!!!!!!!

We met some of the nicest people in the market yesterday. One farmer that we met named Francois was happy to stop and chat with us for a couple minutes, offering up a raw cob of corn for babygirl to snack on (which as you can see from the picture above was taken down to bare cob because it was so delish). We purchased a bakers dozen of sweet (caramel) corn from Farmer Francois for $6.00. It will take presidence at our Sunday dinner this evening. We can't wait to boil it up!

Aside from the corn on the cob that we purchased, we also bought a quart of strawberries for $5, red (my fav) baby potatoes for $4 and a quart of ground cherries for $5. I've tried some crazy things before, but this was my introduction to ground cherries. As you can see they come wrapped in their own tiny little leaf lantern, which when opened, reveals a beautiful amber coloured fruit. Ground cherries are pitless and (in my opinion) have the taste and texture of a sweet plum minus the tartness of the plum skin. They were of course founded by our Native ancestors; will last up to 6 months in their hull and can be packaged and frozen, baked into pies, breads, jams and muffins. Apparently these little marble sized balls of sweetness are hard to find, so my suggestion is that if you come across any being sold, be sure to scoop some up and give them a try. They are so yum!!

The Parkdale Market is open 7 days a week from 7am to 6pm. It opens up for the season in April and shuts down again until the Spring on December 24th. Located directly behind the market is a beautiful park with a splash pad for the kids! These areas of the city make me so happy because you forget how close you are to the hustle and bustle of the downtown core.

If you are in the area, be sure to stop by for a fresh purchase, or to simply take in all of the sweet, sweet smells and vivid colours that represent our beautiful province in the summertime.

xTx

All photos © Copyright Tawny Gelinas, 2011

Punxatawny Phil is Delirious

I don't know if Punxatawny Phil saw his shadow today or not but either way, winter has just arrived!!
I wish the plows would go down my street because my truck got stuck when I tried to pull into my driveway!!
I kick the snow!!
Welcome to Ontario...

-35. Seriously?

You know, I can handle the winter. I don't like it at all, but I can handle it - given that the temperature doesn't decrease past something like, -10. So I thought.

We woke up this morning to -35 degrees. That's just ridiculous. It was a bitter cold. Nasty. Just plain nasty. Our trucks were frozen solid. They were big huge hunks of frozen solid steel that didn't want to budge. Finally they decided to give in and start. Absolutely unbelievable.

How do the penguins handle this nonsense in the South? How do the polar bears handle it in the North?

Clearly, CLEARLY, I am not cut out for winter.

I want to hibernate.

Oh and with the bitter cold came...the chappy. I kick the chappy.

Woe is me.

Cold.

Brrr.