The Holiday Break

This holiday season has been just what I needed. Since it didn't have the best start, it turned out to be a great lesson in letting go. Instead of worrying about how much we needed to get done in a very short time (we got our tree 2 days before Christmas, and didn't even put any decorations up until just a week before!), I decided to let go of any expectations I had and just enjoy the process of doing things, however many we were going to get to.

I'm always someone who enjoys the process just as much, or sometimes even more, than the results, but I realized that I wasn't having the same attitude about the holidays. Thankfully, all it took was taking a moment to let this awareness sink in and to make the decision to change my attitude (once I realized that it was the only actual problem). After that, I enjoyed every day, every activity and every moment so much more.

There was plenty of cooking, eating and decorating, followed by lots of movie (and documentary!) watching, sleeping, and just generally being quiet and taking a break - a real break from the busyness and from the go-go-go rhythm of our lives. 2018 was a big, intense year that pushed and stretched me in so many ways, and I was really feeling the need for such a break.

Just like the last few years before, it was also a year of so much growth for me. To be able to notice and reflect, at the end of it, about how much I have indeed learned and changed (for the better, I'd say) throughout these past 12 months felt really good. Realizing that these lessons helped me enjoy the holiday season more than I have in a long time felt even better, and I'm so looking forward to continuing to learn in this new year too.

Happy 2019!

At the Christmas Tree Farm

This month has been so hectic that I wasn't sure when (or even if!) we would make it to the Christmas tree farm to pick up our tree, which has become our annual tradition. Since we worked the first three weekends of the month, we were only left with one option - the weekend right before Christmas.

Saturday it rained all day (and it wasn't just regular rain, but icy rain!) which narrowed our window even further, to Sunday alone. On Sunday morning, my brother woke up feeling terrible (there's been a cold/flu virus making its way through our whole family for the past month, and it had finally gotten to him too), so I wasn't sure if we would even make it to the farm at all. After some back and forth, we decided to go, though our visit was quite different from those of previous years. While we usually spend a good chunk of time walking among the trees before deciding on our favourite, this time it took us about 5 minutes to pick the tree, and within about 20 minutes we were back in the car, making our way home.

Thankfully, it was a gorgeous day outside and I made it a point to capture some pictures (and videos too, that I shared on Instagram Stories - you can follow me there to see more glimpses of my day-to-day and what I'm working on) while we were there. As I was looking back at them earlier today, all that stood out to me was the beautiful weather and scenery, and I'm so happy that we went anyway, despite all the obstacles that seemed so big at the time.

PS: I shared pictures of our visits all the way back in 2011 and 2012, too. I can't believe it's already been this long that we've been going to this beautiful farm! 

A Season Like No Other

Today is the first day back to my regular routine after the holidays - and what a wonderful break it's been, spent quietly at home with my family. It was all about filling the hours with lots of eating, laughing, movie watching, and couch surfing, without having to rush or stick to any sort of schedule.

There was something different about this holiday season for me. Usually, I would have this inner pressure sitting heavy on my heart, telling me that I haven't done enough, that I've let another year slip by without moving towards my big dreams, and that I have to get really clear on my next steps right away so I can hit the ground running once that calendar on the wall changes, and never let it happen again. This year, however, I didn't feel any of that. Instead, I felt so at peace, and I was so much more immersed into the celebrations, quiet and simple as they may have been.

To be honest, these holidays haven't been picture perfect: a bunch of the dishes that we had been looking forward to making for our celebrations didn't happen, the holidays cards didn't get mailed until three days before Christmas, my desk, which hasn't seen an inch of clear space in months, actually became even more cluttered and, as a literal last bump in the road, we spent a chunk of the last (freezing) morning of the year assessing damage and filling insurance paperwork after a minor car accident; and yet somehow I was able to thoroughly enjoy this break, more than I have in a very long time.

I realized that it wasn't the season itself that was different from the ones of past years, but that the difference was inside of me. I really believe that, through all the work I've had to do on myself, 2016 really changed me and taught me so many precious lessons. It made me stronger, and it showed me what - and who - matters most. Ultimately, it painted the picture of how I want to live my life clearer than I've ever seen it, and I can't help but think how sweet it is to recognize, looking back, that the hardships and struggles of these last 12 months were all for good reason.

Even more, this inner change also allowed me to see December 31st and January 1st for what they actually are, two regular days coming one after the other, no different than the 363/4 other ones in the year in anything besides their potential to offer us a beautiful blank slate to use however we like to slowly create our own masterpiece day after day.

I hope that, whether 2016 was a great or difficult year for you, that you were able to enjoy a holiday season filled with love, laughter, and relaxation, and that you're looking forward to this 2017 that thankfully comes, like all years do, one day at a time.

Spring Memories

Summer is finally here, and I'm absolutely thrilled; it is my favourite season after all. The beginning part of the season always feels even more special, because it is filled with so much excitement and anticipation for the months ahead that make up my favourite part of the year.

There's always so much to look forward to in the summer, but before I do that, I want to take a look back and acknowledge all the sweet moments from the past few months. After reflecting on it for a few days, I've come to realize how special this spring has actually been. It's been the time when I've gradually started once again to come out of my shell, to share more of myself, and to be a part of something, after a long while of feeling a strong need to keep to myself, to do inner work, and to find my own individual rhythm.

As a result of this outward shift, I've also started to notice and enjoy the little things around me again, and looking back on the ones I've documented helped paint a much clearer picture of just how sweet and special this spring has been.

Everybody needs a little afternoon nap sometimes. Seeing the ways in which she sleeps is always entertaining, but on this particular afternoon, I really liked how she laid on the couch with just her head on the pillow, like a little person.

These beautiful flowers in our front yard. Every year I post pictures of them, and it's because every year I can't believe how much joy I get from seeing them pop out of the ground after so many months of mainly white and grey all around.

Our Easter eggs. For the past few years, we've used only natural materials to colour them, which can be quite unpredictable. So, every year I tell myself that I will test out different materials beforehand, and every year I fail to do it. Luckily, we still got some beautiful colours, though not necessarily the ones we were expecting: the grey, although beautiful, was supposed to come out as red by using black cherries (that is what the article said, but thinking about it, it does make sense that black cherries would produce a black-ish colour); the vivid yellow came from turmeric, and the gorgeous blue that I can't get enough of from purple cabbage; the slightly darker yellow was supposed to be green (although in real life, it did have a sort of chartreuse tint to it) by combining the yellow and blue liquids, but it seems like the turmeric was too powerful.

Superfood oatmeal inspired by Drea - not the most photogenic breakfast, but I had it for a week straight and absolutely loved it, so I thought it was worth mentioning. Every morning, I added an assortment of nourishing extras to the basic oatmeal to make it even better: ground walnuts for added protein, rosehip powder for extra vitamin C, spirulina powder for all over super-goodness, cinnamon for its blood sugar balancing properties (and great taste!), and vanilla bean powder for even more flavour.

I'd love to know, what moments or things stood out to you this spring and made the season special?

Start Over

After some wonderful time off with my family over the holidays and a reluctant restart to the work routine last week, we are now well rooted into the new year.  My hope is that we fill these next 12 months with plenty of fun, kindness, health and happiness. Welcome 2016!

Winter Break

We've been back at work for a full week already, but my mind is still on the two weeks of vacation that we had before because, to be honest, those two weeks were a dream. After a year spent living at a crazy pace, the winter break was a much-needed and so-very-welcome slow down from it all.

It was full of....
puppy cuddles; family time; movie watching; kitty cuddles; being home; cooking yummy things and eating yummy things; late wake-up calls (or no calls at all really) and late bedtimes; more being and less doing; belly laughs; puppy play time; blog reading and social media reviewing; online shop building (!!!); simply enjoying.

and sprinkled with little bits of...
blog writing; house cleaning; holiday decorating; puppy walks in the snow; kitty play time; 2015 planning and dreaming.

and lots of other things that just don't come to mind right now, but that I know were equally enjoyable and relaxing. These two weeks fully convinced me that all vacations from now on must include at least a few days of the same.

Happy Easter, Healthy Easter

For the second year in a row, this Easter we painted our eggs with all-natural plant-based colours. This simply means that we used plants and other kitchen ingredients in either boiling or very hot water, mixed with some vinegar and/or salt, instead of the traditional chemical-filled dyes.

Even though this is our second go at it, we are still very much in the experimenting phase. The process isn't nearly as simple and reliable as those Internet articles that we've been reading make it seem. There were times when we were seriously worried that we would be left with completely colourless eggs and frantically added similar coloured items into the mix in the hopes of getting even a hint of colour, and we have yet to find the right ingredient for a true red, but in the end it is so much fun to see the results.

This year we ended up with four colours: yellow from turmeric and yellow onion peels (by far the most reliable ingredients and the most intense colour), blue from purple cabbage, green from a mix of wheatgrass and liquid chlorophyll, and purple - that was actually meant to be red - from a combination of cranberries and sour cherries. I couldn't even believe how pretty they turned out. I honestly like them so much more than the colours we get from the chemical dyes. I find that the colours are - unsurprisingly! - so much more natural, and I like the little details like the lack in uniformity of the colour and the generally lighter, more pastel shades.

Now I can't wait to try out new colours and I'm thinking we should conduct a few egg painting experiments throughout the year to avoid those Easter Eve nerves of potentially colourless eggs.