It's a new year....

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

May this year bring you

Happiness,

and Health.

Good friends.

and Laughter

Security.

and Love.

Awareness.

and Peace.

(doesn't twenty-twelve have a nice ring to it?)

oxo

It's a real Northern Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

We arrived safely back up north on Friday,

 just in time to experience our first real northern Christmas.

On Christmas Eve morning we snowshoed deep into the woods to find our tree....

We opted for a little scraggly guy, since we had to carry him home ourselves (and to be honest, all the trees up here are a little scraggly anyway).

And guess who we ran into on the way back home from getting our tree? 

A herd of reindeer!

No doubt they were getting ready for their big night up ahead : )

We decorated  our scraggly little tree as best as we could, with the few ornaments we brought up with us from Montreal, and I made a star out of tinfoil and wire : )

And we exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve (in honour of my European family's tradition).

The hubby gave me this beautiful snowflake necklace to represent our new life up north. 

Isn't that so sweet?!

It was a quiet Christmas, just the two of us, but it was magical just the same.

I hope you're having a wonderful holiday too.

oxo

Happy Friday, have a very Merry Christmas!

So we're at the airport right now, returning to the great north. I can't help but feel sad to be leaving our families during the holidays, but I also feel excited to start new traditions of our own.

Wherever you are this weekend, whoever you are with, I wish you a very merry Christmas/holiday season.

oxo

Vanessa

Traditional Scottish Shortbread

I love shortbread. 

I love its simplicity, its pure buttery taste, its crumbly texture.

I love the way it brings me right back to my grandmother's kitchen at Christmas time.

I'm so happy I found this recipe. Apparently it dates back to 1792. 

I got it from a holiday edition of Canadian Living Magazine, and I decided to try it because it must be good if it has survived that long. 

And it is indeed that good. It's classic. It's perfect. 

And what's Christmas without perfect shortbread?

Read on for the recipe...

Happy Winter Solstice

I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter.  Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.  

~Andrew Wyeth

Happy Solstice!

Unconventional Last Minute Gift Ideas

Instead of giving unwanted gimmicky gifts this year, why not give something unexpected, something that also helps people in need... like a goat, or a duck, or fresh drinking water....

You can buy these awesome gift cards over at Oxfam Unwrapped. 

Isn't that a fun idea?

(via State of Being Green)

Weekend Moments - Christmas in the Country

So even though it wasn't December 25th, we had a lovely little (early) Christmas in the country.

It even snowed for us.

I made my usual Christmas morning cinnamon buns...

We bought clear glass ball ornaments, and painted them ourselves...

Then we all ventured out into the forest to cut down a wild Christmas tree.

Finding an appropriate tree in the wild is actually a lot more difficult than we expected. They're all so big and awkwardly shaped. 

But that's part of the magic.

 In the end we found a rather funny unique looking pine tree.

And we chopped it down to size.

We then made a little fire with the wood we brought with us,

 and we celebrated with hot cocoa & cookies,

and of course, coffee with baileys : )

Even though it was oddly shaped, the tree ended up looking great.

And in the end it was a magical Christmas, despite it not actually being Christmas yet.

oxo

Happy Friday! Time to make Christmas....

Can you believe it's already December 16th?!

I will be in the country for the weekend, celebrating an early Christmas with my family before we head back up north.

My mother and I have a huge baking to-do list... on the menu, traditional scotch shortbread, mint chocolate truffles, cinnamon buns, and so much more.

I wish you a wonderful winter weekend.

Here's hoping for some snow!

oxo

Lady Grey Loves... Scrabble Mugs!

Aren't these great?!

I saw them at a little boutique in the plateau (Montreal), but you can buy them online here.

(images via Wild & Wolf)

Another sweet song for your Thursday...

Today's music feature comes from Emmy The Great. 

I love this song, Paper Forest, from the album Virtue.

Have a listen...

Lady Grey Loves: Club Monaco's winter accessories...

I always love Club Monaco's accessories.

And this winter's selection is no different.

I love this furry knitted hat....

And this beautifully embellished bag...

These cozy mukluks...

This sleek case to keep your ipad warm ; )

These fabulous python cuffs...

And  these sexy winter ties for your man....

(all images via Club Monaco)

Travel Destination: Igloo Village in Finland

The Igloo Village at Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland sounds absolutely incredible. 

You can fall asleep watching the starry sky and aurora borealis from a heated glass igloo.

Wouldn't that be amazing?!

 Would you try it?

(via re-nest / enpundit)