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Lessons From a Hydrangea Covered in Snow

Another storm passed through the previous night, but the morning’s clear sky was a nod of approval to keep my friend’s coffee date. I made my way up the side streets passing by snowy Victorian houses and whimsical mailboxes. Halfway to the coffee shop, I spotted a dead hydrangea draped in snow on someone’s front…
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The Clarity After a Snowstorm

A storm was approaching, and the rows of lit up windows in the neighbouring buildings indicated that people were hunkered down at home. Starry lights were glowing from multiple windows across from us. A few particularly caught my eye. The cluster of pink and orange glows framed by twinkle lights. Below it, a yellow and…
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Sundays at the Art Gallery

Being a tourist in my own city is something I admit I don’t do enough of. Since the pandemic, my husband and I made a vow to check out more places in the city (or province, and even country!) that we’ve unintentionally taken for granted. One of those touristy places that we’ve never been to…
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Creating light during the January Gloom

I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun. The feeling of sunlight on my face suddenly feels so foreign to me. We’re entering the sixth week of consecutive gloomy grey skies here in Toronto (and the southern Ontario region in general). Aside from very brief pockets of sunshine here and there, we haven’t…
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The Gift of Printed Photo Albums

The end of the year is always a nostalgic time. It’s a time when we take stock of our big moments, our small moments, reflect on the lessons of the year, and dream about the possibilities of the next. There is a little space on this blog carved out for such end-of-year reflections. I’ve written…
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Clementine and Pomegranate Salad with Honey and Halva

It has been too long since I posted a recipe here, and I’m excited to share this one with you. I recently made this fruit salad again, and it made my heart sing. The ingredients are in peak season right now, so I encourage you to try it out. I know, when you think of…
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Vintage Christmas Aesthetic

If I could describe our Christmas decoration aesthetic, I would say it’s a mix of Little Women meets Scandinavia. Think rustic ornaments, antique teacups, candlelit lanterns, knitted stockings, and orange slices dangling on a lit tree. The Scandinavian aspect is the simplicity of it all. Think little white houses, wooden figurines, cedar branches and embroidered…
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An Unhurried Holiday Season

As December begins, I am choosing to be intentional about how I want this season to feel for us. If I can use one word to describe our overall approach to Christmas this year, I would choose: unhurried. Unhurried for social events. Unhurried for gifts. Intentional in connecting. Intentional in just being. After the last…
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How I’m coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder

I am a lover of all seasons, but as long as I could remember, I have always struggled with the dreary darkness of November here in Canada. The lack of daylight, the gloomy skies and the bone-chilling cold are but a bleak reminder of the long winter ahead of us for the next five months.…
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Autumn Foliage

The minute the month of October ended, my surroundings were saturated with Christmas and winter content that I was not yet ready for. My heart was still in Fall mode. In Toronto, the golden leaves were still rustling beneath my feet, and the season’s harvest was still sitting in our kitchen basket, waiting to become…