hello, break.

It's been so very quiet around here. I apologize. But quite honestly, I need a break. Thank goodness -- that break officially begins today.

So, thus begins seventeen glorious (school-free) days of respite. I leave you with a festive treat. 

white chocolate rock.

>> 2 cups white chocolate discs

>> red or green food colouring 

>> 2 peppermint candy canes (crushed). 

Melt chocolate in the microwave on medium power, stirring every minute. Pour onto parchment paper and spread with back of spoon. Drop food colouring (two to three drops) over chocolate. Swirl with a knife. Sprinkle with candy cane. Let cool, and when hardened, break apart into bite-sized pieces. 

Enjoy! I'm off to a ugly christmas sweater party with friends.

xo

lately.

the weepies + chalk typography. such a good combination.

Cough, cough, cough. Cough. Cough. Apparently, that's how I say 'hello' these days. On top of my lifelong cold (i was born with a cold. yes, seriously.), I've been feeling a little under the weather lately. It's not so fun.

Thankfully, there's copious amounts of apple cinnamon tea in the cupboard and a plenitude of gifts just waiting to be wrapped. Plus, I've got an awesome sister who will venture outside with me to take photos, even when it's three-pairs-of-socks weather. I like her.

xo

ps. any good book suggestions? this sickly girl is in desperate need of some reading material.

the state in-between.

Us bloggers, we tend to get quite excited during that shifting period of time, where one season slowly begins to transition into the next. We look forward to those little things, like homemade pumpkin bread in autumn and the first snowfall of the winter.

mustard yellow sweaters for grey sky days.

This prairie province is currently nestled in that in-between state. There are next to no remnants of autumn, only the occasional lone leaf blowing across the yard. Winter seems hesitant to settle down and stay awhile. It snows. It melts. Repeat.

This in-between state is the perfect time to check things off my mile long to-do list (hello, giftwrapping.). It prompts frequent visits to our favourite coffee shop, which is always filled the the brim with hipsters (oh, yes.).

I'm quite content right here. My winter wonderland will come soon enough.

xo

writing with a melted marshmallow moustache.

Sitting here, watching the marshmallows slowly melt into my hot chocolate, creating a delectable layer of sweet and foamy goodness - it hits me. Today is the first of December. How on earth did this happen? Was I not just packing up my suitcase for the lake? Evidently not, since we are now unpacking boxes upon boxes of ornaments, wrapping paper, and garland. Room has been made on my mother's pottery shelves for decorations, and our chalkboard countdown reads twenty-four. 

i love our tree. no theme, just ornaments collected from over the years.

The first days of December will be filled with copious amounts of gift wrapping, brainstorming ideas for an exciting project, letter-writing, and baking with mama (she's been on a roll lately). Christmas break is drawing near, and these little things will make the wait so much sweeter. 

Here's to a beautiful month.

xo

ps. listen.

living inside a prairie snow globe.

I don't have a lot of words right now. Perhaps I'm coming down with a mild case of 'blogger's block', or something of the sorts.

Life's been busy lately. It's been hard at times. New things are happening, and I'm not going to lie, it's taking some getting-used-to. But at the same time, life's been exciting. I'm finding beauty in this whirlwind.

One thing I know for sure? My favourite season is here. I'm living inside a prairie snow globe. My winter heart is happy.

i'm loving

painting. it's true, i complain about art class deadlines. i get the urge to "accidentally" spill my cup of tea all over the canvas when things aren't going my way. but with every painting, i get better and better. this craft is turning into a passion.

~

surprise visits from nana & grampy. they just make my day. 

actual quote: "i love you, grampy." "what? why? i'm just a fat old geezer."

yep. best grandpa ever.

~

city trips. four of them this week. art gallery field trips. drama productions. uncontrollable laugher on long bus rides. the famous 'red cups' a la starbucks. i'm not really a city person, but i quite like days like these.

~

padraig slippers. i don't think i've gone a day without them since last christmas. so cozy.

~
peering through my lace curtains, and marvelling at the grapefruit sunrise. then going upstairs, and eating a breakfast to match it.
~
scrabble games. i love having an avid scrabble player for a nana. even my english teacher thought it would be a good idea for the class to play scrabble, rather than do schoolwork. he definitely has his priorities straight.
~
letters. so many letters. carlotta, libby, & katie are the best pen pals ever. seriously.

Typical canadian question for you. What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

xo

a menagerie of musings // november

>> mismatched socks. Just because I can.

>> cuddles. Last Friday was a movie night with my friends, Sydney & Sydney (i guess i just really like sydneys...). Sydney #1 made us watch Star Wars, while Sydney #2 and I cuddled with Sydney #1's dachshund, and pretended like we totally understood what was going on. ;)

>> a new design. My dear friend Carlotta ever-so-kindly offered to spruce up my little blog. What do you think? I'm kind of in love.

>> christmas lights. Apparently it's that time of year, already. Craziness.

>> afternoons with my sister. The other day, we biked uptown for a visit to the antique store and the old art gallery. This was followed by a much-anticipated sushi lunch. Our favourite. I'm so thankful for the days I get to spend with Chloe. I swear I love this girl more and more each day.

What are you loving about November? xo,

abbey

spiced apple pomegranate cider.

Monday morning. I slowly and groggily shuffled my way upstairs, trying to prolong the inevitable. In other words, school. I sat down at the kitchen table and sunk deeper into the warm, fuzzy depths of my housecoat. A quick glance at the window forced me to do a double take.

Snow. A thin layer of it blanketed every rooftop in sight. Like a crisp, white bedsheet on an unmade bed, it lay crinkled on the ground, autumn leaves jutting out from the surface. Suddenly, school didn't seem so bad anymore. The reason for that being I'd have to walk outside to get there.

. . .

The snow had completely disappeared by early afternoon. I guess my brain was still in a winter wonderland well into the next day, though, because I decided a warm holiday drink was in order.

spiced apple pomegranate cider

serves one.

>> one cup apple cider

>> once cup pomegranate juice

>> one cinnamon stick

>> pomegranate arils (optional)

Boil everything, except the pomegranate arils, in a pot. Once boiled, let the mixture simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and let it rest for twenty minutes, to let the flavours develop. Pour into a glass, and top with pomegranate arils, if you so desire. 

Enjoy, friends! xo,

abbey

there's such a lot of world to see.

listen.

Travel. The word evokes daydreams of little Paris cafés and rustic mountain cottages. Of stuffed suitcases and being surrounded by the murmur of a foreign language.

My nana recently gave me her antique world map, which now hangs on the wall beside my bed. It's the last thing I see before I fall asleep, and the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. Every so often, I trace my fingers over the continents, mesmerized by how many places there are to see on this earth. This leaves me with a sense of fernweh; farsickness. Honestly, I haven't had a whole lot of opportunities to travel yet. The few opportunities I have had -- like roadtripping through all the prairie provinces with my family -- have been amazing. But until I'm older, I satisfy my craving for travel with letters from globe-scattered friends and mini roadtrips.

Like last weekend, where I had the chance to be both a city mouse and a country mouse, with my amazing cousins, Meadow & Kazan. 

henry.

huge breakfast. eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, avacado, & homemade apple juice. yum.

hello, sled dogs.

Yes. This will definitely do. 

   

   

ps. it's true, i'm not a big fan of halloween. but if there's an excuse to dress up, i'll take it. hence the waldo gear. waldo & i were practically twins -- right from the pom pom toque, down to the brown oxfords. oh, yes. did you dress up?