Thirteen is a fine number (and 12 was pretty good too)

I'm not a superstitious person.
I don't believe in unlucky numbers.
I believe your life is what you make of it,
and I'm for making the most of it... every day, in every way.

2012 was a very big year for me.

I spent most of it pregnant, which brought many joys and many challenges too.

I survived my first full year of living in the far north, and we got to watch the aurora borealis many, many, many times.
I also had the privilege of participating in several traditional native activities and ceremonies. I completely fell in love with the Cree people, and I don't think I'll ever want to work anywhere else.

We travelled to Florida, and LBI, England, Wales, Germany, Amsterdam, France, and Italy.

And most importantly, I brought a new soul into this world.
And my life will never be the same again.

Wishing you all a very happy New Year. 

We'll be having a quiet night in the country,

with a snowy bonfire and some bubbly.

I think 2013 is going to be a really great year!

oxo 

Vanessa

Weekend Moments: Christmas in the Country

We had a beautiful Christmas with my family out in the country.

Here are a few highlights....

(We got this amazing winter coat extension for the little guy, so we can go out on winter walks and keep him warm with our own body heat. We tried it out for the first time and he loved it! We went for a long walk in the forest and he fell into a deep, deep sleep. Amazing!)

Now we are celebrating Christmas with my in-laws in New Jersey, and Zachary gets to meet his great- grandparents for the first time : )

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday. 

oxo

Merry Christmas from our family to yours

We wish you a very merry Christmas, full of love and laughter, good food, family and friends.

oxo 

Vanessa.

Hey Folks, it's Officially Winter!!

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

 Happy solstice!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Hooraayyyyy, it's finally snowing!

Maybe it will be a white Christmas in Montreal, after all.

Thought I'd share a few iphone snapshots with you from our drive around the mountain this morning. 

It was incredibly beautiful!

I can finally say that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Lately in Photos....

We had a great weekend in Toronto visiting my in-laws. Zach got to meet two of his great-grandparents for the first time.

And Zach was a champ along the 7 hour car drive to and from Montreal. I'm so happy he loves the car because his parents certainly love to take road trips : )

On Saturday night we took Zach out to his first ever Christmas party to meet our Toronto friends. He was so good and slept through most of the evening. And of course everyone loved him and his little santa suit!

And we received a lovely package in the mail from the very talented Margie of Resurrection Fern. She made Zach these adorable red & grey slippers and also sent us this über-cute grizzly bear onesie. Thank-you so much!!

I hope you had a lovely weekend too.

Letters to Santa...

Did you write letters to Santa Claus and mail them to the north pole when you were a kid? 

I always did. 

I remember explaining that I had been good (other than the occasional fight with my brother), and detailing exactly what I wanted for Christmas that year. And the amazing part was that I always got a response back from Santa in the mail.

I never really questioned it before, but who actually takes the time to write out all those responses?

Turns out  it's the Canadian postal service  it's obviously Santa himself.

Did you know that you can write Santa in any language, from anywhere in the world, and receive a personalized response for free! Here's what Canada Post has to say:

"While the picture above shows a stamp, letters to Santa do not require postage (Santa would NEVER refuse a letter because it didn't have a stamp on it) and the response from Santa is also delivered for free. We're honoured to help Santa respond to his mail and proud to help teach children valuable literacy skills."

Isn't that sweet?! Oh how I love Canada!

(turns out you can now email Santa too)

Have yourself a merry little weekend

We are in Toronto for the weekend visiting my in-laws.

They live right on the lake, so I get to watch beautiful sunrises from our bedroom window.

I guess that's one plus to being up at all hours feeding a newborn.

 I can't believe it's December 14th and we still don't have any decent snow (which is fairly unheard of in Montreal). ... Makes it hard to be motivated to do any Christmas shopping.

But oh well...

Wherever you are,

whatever the weather,

I wish you a merry little weekend : )

Addendum: I am completely in shock by the devastating news out of Connecticut today. My heart goes out to all those families. I simply cannot comprehend...

It is a sad day in the world indeed.

Lady Grey Loves... Club Monaco's Winter Wears

Club Monaco always has the best cold weather accessories....

I love this cheeky tuque for men.

and these knit+leather gloves for women

I love their selection of men's plaid scarves

and I think I need this knitted hot water bottle cozy for up north.

(Yikes, I'm headed back up to the great white north with my little one in three weeks!)

Christmas Baking: Figgy Scones!

 Oh these scones are sooooooo good!

They make for a perfect breakfast to serve your family over the holidays.

If you like figs you simply must make these, you will not be disappointed.

Read on for the recipe...

Adventures with Bébé... Passport Photos!

It's already fairly ridiculous that a newborn baby needs a passport to begin with. Honestly, as if he's going to look the same in a month from now. But trying to get a proper passport photo done that meets the standard recommendations is downright impossible.

Here are the requirements (in Canada)... your newborn must:

(1) be awake (newborns sleep on average 18hrs a day - although ours definitely doesn't!)

(2) have his head held still in a vertical position (newborns are essentially neckless)
(3) Keep his hands away from his face

(4) Parents hands must be completely out of sight while holding him this way

(5) And finally, he must look directly at the camera (I don't think newborns can even see that far yet)

Needless to say, it took like thirty tries! But in the end we got it.
And now we can officially travel south to see our lovely American relatives for Christmas : )

And here's a very fed-up Zach in his ridiculous passport photo:

(he looks like a grumpy old grandpa!)

Sparkling holiday party looks...

Sequin shiftdress  (Madewell)

I'm for all things glittery this holiday season.

Although, realistically, with a newborn baby in my arms at all times, I doubt I'd actually get any wear out of something this fancy... especially considering that I've been living in PJs and breastfeeding tank tops for the past 4 weeks. But hey, a girl can still admire!

Winter Fantasy Lace Blouse In Green  (Ruche)

Spark Of Light Metallic Maxi Dress (Ruche)

Sparkle dot shiftdress  (Madewell)

Falling Star Metallic Dress (Ruche)

Textile elizabeth & james® kelsey parka, dotted tux shirt, sequin mini (Madewell)