With the back porch done, I've been looking for any excuse to spend time outside and enjoy this space before it gets too cold. Luckily, I didn't have to look far for inspiration. It was Sean's birthday this week and Chloe has been asking me to make him a special treat so while the two of them were off at ballet class, I put together this small but fun celebration.

I've come to appreciate these types of celebrations more and more... simple pleasures, easy to prepare but special enough to remember. Nothing was overly styled or planned, just a simple menu of hot chocolate and pancakes.

I've been doing some online shopping lately so I broke out my purchases from Indigo. Seriously, I could buy everything in that store. These stoneware mugs (made to look like vintage tinware) were too cute to pass up as were these salt and pepper mason jars, which I filled with cinnamon and cocoa for topping. A-dorable. I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of these over the winter.


The pumpkin crunch pancakes were delicious. To make them a bit more special, I made them in mini form and placed them on a skewer accompanied by a tiny cup of real maple syrup. So easy for dipping and one-handed eating ;) I added a dash of pumpkin spice latte syrup to the hot chocolate and topped it with raspberry marshmallows I picked up at Bobbette and Belle a few weeks ago. Decadent!