home away from home.

I've always loved the idea of visiting another country just to stay for the afternoon. (oh, the amusement that comes from living near the border) A few weekends back, we crossed over into the states for a day on the slopes. Perched high on a chairlift with my sister, we witnessed the unfolding of landscapes our eyes had never seen. So reminiscent of the ones at home, yet completely new to us.

Here's to doing the things you love and the places you've never been.

a break from chaos.

dear dad,
thank-you for being one of the only people crazy enough to go adventuring with me. trudging through old abandoned homes in the minus thirty degree weather isn't most people's cup of tea. but you, like I, revel in it - bundled in winter gear and camera in hand.


I pried myself away from final projects, piles of homework, and exam reviews - just for an hour or so. We hit the jackpot for food photography backdrops (thank-you, old barns) and pointed out the little things that had gone untouched since we visited last canada day. Remember this? Remember that? Our adventure ended far too quickly, but not before warming up with steaming drinks from our favourite coffee shop.

How do you keep sane during the chaos that is exam week?

xo,

abbey

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