Coffee and Tea

A few moments from a sunny Sunday morning with the paper and some warm drinks.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

L.

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Love

Our little family has been put through the wringer on a few different levels over the last week (reason for my blogging absence), but amongst all the challenge we have only found a greater love for eachother.

Tough times are inevitable, but the way they are dealt is massively variable. And I share a life with a man who has experienced them with the absolute most integrity & grace for which I could not be more in love with him.

How wonderful is that? sigh.

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Flower Friday

A few months ago our good friends K&J tied the knot in a beautiful, emotional and partied filled evening. Shortly after their engagement when the party plans were kicking into high gear, K and I were chatting about wedding costs and how shocking some of the flower quotes were that she had received.

**Interlude**

I will pause here as I can sense a world of professional florist rolling their eyes, clenching their fists and wanting to bury every amateaur " we can do it ourselves" wannabe wedding flower designers (aka me!). So let me just say, your flowers are probably way better then mine and I am sure your prices are fair for what you do - you have my total admiration. In this case DIY was the way to go and it was the perfect celebration of my friend's special day

****

SO...

As you have now guessed I confidently stated to K that this was something we could tackle, and just like that I got to play florist. Aside from a little stress because I wanted these to be good and not just appreciated because they were homemade ("oh how sweet - she did it herself..."), the process was really smooth and we really had a blast doing it!

Thank you K&J for letting me act out one of my life dreams and be a part of your special day.

Ps. The photos are all done by Darryl and Vicky photography - really sweet people who take really sweet photos!

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a sleeping dog

As a little gift for your patience while I spruce things up around here, a photo of a sleeping dog. Taken this weekend at the cottage and makes me desperately want to run back and snuggle with him (or get a really old dog...more on that later).

xo. L

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I'm at it again.

Here we all go again; breaking "blogging rules" each second. I am once again changing the look of my little blog - this time with the intention for keeps.

Thanks for sticking with me through it.
xo L.

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The Good Ol'Hockey Game

What would be a Canadian cottage winter weekend be without hockey on a frozen lake?

A case of beer chilling in a snow bank set on the edge of the perfect pond hockey rink; piles of cleared away snow acting as the boards and shovels subbing in as goalies. The only thing missing was the sound of skate blades carving away, but those would have been drowned out by the cheering, slapping of hockey sticks together and on top of it all, the deafening blanket of snowy silence.

And after hours of play and layers shed, that distinct hockey smell steaming from gloves we all headed inside for a feast of fresh salads and sandwiches dipped into homemade soup and an afternoon of board games and warming ourselves by the fire.

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A perfect winter weekend

This weekend was spent with 18 friends, new and old, at my very good friend S's stunning family cottage. What a perfect winter weekend it was.
Hockey on a frozen lake - shovels for goalie sticks and layers peeled away as a good ol'Canadian hockey sweat began to form. Beers chilling in the snow beside the rink.
Food and more food as each person took turns feeding the others - crowded around the counter we indulged until perfectly stuffed full.
An afternoon of tea, knitting, reading and cozy naps on eachother's shoulders in front of a roaring fire and a soundly sleeping, snoring dog.
A 20ft. snow fort built on the foundation of a frozen lake to the soundtrack of old country music and the light of a candle.
18 people tucked around a single table, birch trees and ski polls our centerpiece and a steamy lasagna, fresh salad and overflowing glasses our meal.

So many photos to share, so I will do my best to post them all week.
Happy Monday!

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Gear

Over the last few months I have been taking my love of photography a titch bit further, and by request, having been shooting family, friends and most recently recording sessions!

The recording sessions are such a fun and overwhelmingly creative time as you are surrounded by people singing, playing, and working with sounds - all while they are kind enough to let me nerd out on taking photos and absorb as much of the amazing energy as possible. Another perk is that the recording studios and spaces are filled with so much beautiful gear (mics, knobs, buttons, strings, keys, lights), allowing for endless photo opportunities and inspiration.

My approach to date at these sessions has been to capture the mood and process of the recording and not so much posed, static images and so far, I would say I am happy with about a third of the shots I have come out with. So much to learn and experiment with and I am loving every minute of it and am so appreciative of the opportunities that have been offered to me!

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Maude's Christmas Gift - Loyal Luxe

At some point over the last 4 years Mr. S and I officially became cat people. I think Mr. S may have already been an official cat person before I met him, but our adoption of Maude sealed the deal. We are not just people who love their cat, but people who love and talk about and take photos of and fuss over their cat.
I would say it is something that crept up on us slowly until one night I realized that we had enjoyed an entire evening with our good friends speaking about our cats - how they jump, sleep, purr, eat, are moody - the usual.

(Note: I REALLY hope this is no indication of what kind of parent I will be to a human child. For some reason I have tons of patience for conversation about people's animals and not as much for conversation about people's babies... with the exception of a few...)

And being the good cat person that I now am, shopping for Maude during the holidays is as much a priority as the other loved ones in my life and this year's gift to her was a no brainier. I can't remember exactly where I came across Loyal Luxe, but one visit to their adorable website stocked full of Canadiana inspired homes and accessories for your cats and dogs had me ordering items for all of friends furry best friends.

We gifted Maude her new "Canadian Cabin for Fully Little Critters" and it was love at first site. She literally took one look at it and climbed right in. I have no idea what the love affair between cats and cardboard is, but man oh man does Maude love her new cabin.

Ps. The people at Loyal Luxe are so wonderful and made sure that Maude's gift arrived in time for Christmas even though I ordered it way too late! Thank you again Loyal Luxe folks!

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Welcome 2011

If I could hold 2010 in the palm of my hand forever and ever, I think I would. Freeze it in time and sneak peeks at it through my fingers as I navigate the New Year of 2011 - catching little glimpses of the overwhelming happiness that it brought.


Just hours before we headed out to our New Year celebrations, I had a nostalgic sadness about seeing this year go. Nothing needs to top or compare to my 2010, it has been its own unique and most amazing set of days. It brought me the joy of one of my biggest life goals (our own home!), let me explore the world (here, here and here), experience the amazing celebration of our country and the world AND Mr. S at the 2010 Olympic Games, and be so fortunate to be surrounded by amazing loved ones who are achieving such greatness in their lives!


Thank you for following along and being such beautiful supporters of our journey this 2010!


Here's to 2011 - a year I can just feel will be packed full of joy, good health and happiness for all.

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