these days

I haven't had much of a presence here lately. So much going back and forth between the city & and the country, wedding planning (some details of which I plan to share here soon - August 4th is fast approaching!), and preparing for the final move to Laurentian Valley to be with Andrew full-time, which we accomplished last weekend and was nothing short of epic. I have come to accept that moving plans never go as planned and was surprisingly relaxed (almost) the whole time. I think I have been successfully taking all the wisdom and advice from Meg Keene's most wonderful and endearing book, A Pracitcal Wedding, and applying it to other areas of my life. I have been actively practicing my wedding Zen and it has truly helped me to let go of all the little things, wedding-related or otherwise. I feel the most amazing lightness and the least stress I have felt in a long time.

Amidst all the craziness, I have still found time to savour the small moments and delicacies, from summer skies, gin & tonics, and Quebec's culinary delights to gardens both old & new.

And this. 

wishing you & yours a wonderful weekend. 

xo, 

sara

weekend delights

My neighbourhood Roman Catholic church, Église Saint-Édouard in the borrough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie. I love living so close to such a grand church. I find the sound of the bells to be oddly comforting and grounding // La chocolatine (also known as pain au chocolat) is my all-time favourite Montreal pastry. It would not be a stretch to say that I live for the chocolatine. I often eat several a week.

A display of vintage hand wall hooks at Style LABO, an incredible vintage boutique in Montreal's Mile End that features an impressive, carefully curated collection of antique furnishings, objets d'art, and curiosities. It can often be expensive, but some of the finds are so unique and intriguing that they are worth indulging in. I took home one of the smallest hand hooks and am already thinking about creatie ways to put it to use // My Sunday night bedside reading. I picked up the Penguin's "Great Ideas" edition of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own on a whim from Libraire Drawn & Quarterly this weekend, my favourite Montreal independant bookstore. It is such a wonderful read. 

Andrew sent me a few photos of life in Laurentian Valley this weekend as the first signs of Spring emerged (the snow has finally melted!). As everything is slowly coming back to life, the backyard has been overflowing with a variety of species of birds (which has put Hunter into a craze) and he managed to capture snapshots of a few, including one of my favourites, the Morning Dove (left), as well as a Red Wing Black Bird (right). I wish I could spend Spring in the country this year and awake to bird songs and fresh crisp air every morning, but at least I will get to visit in a couple weeks and I will be able to spend the summer there. For now, my mornings are welcomed by pigeons in the back of my Montreal apartment and broken sunrises over the buildings and through the tree tops.

these days

i've been fully immersed in writing my comps for almost two weeks now, and i am already exhausted. i try to find or create little bits of brightness in the mornings to kickstart my consistently long days and to help keep me going. this morning, i happily watched three blue jays flutter around in the trees in the backyard; other mornings, it's just orange juice and vanilla yogourt with strawberries.

i always look forward to my daily afternoon walks with glasgow; the only real thing that gets me out of the house. it's been fairly warm this week and we've even had a couple sunny days, which make me want to stay outside forever. yesterday, the snow was starting to melt and things were softening up, making it perfect to collect lichen and other forest bits preserved in the snow. i can't think of a better, more relaxing and fulfilling break from writing. 

my evenings have been fairly mellow and follow a general routine. if am really stressed or in the writing zone, andrew cooks me dinner. otherwise, we prepare dinner together and sit down to watch The X-Files while we eat. i usually unwind after long days of writing with a glass of wine or a beer, without which i honestly don't think i could get through this kind of intensive writing (or grad school, period). the thing that i truly cherish most, though, is spending time with my little family in our cozy little space together. none of this would be worth it if it weren't for their love and companionship.

flowers of instagram

credits: anabela (fieldguided) // jane (ill seen, ill said)


lately, my instagram feed has been coloured with photos of flowers: snapshots, still lifes, close-ups, and artful photos of bouquets. i have been reluctant to bring flowers into the house ever since i poisoned my cat with lilies last year, and i have always been the kind to spontaneously treat myself with a bouquet or even a single flower while walking through the city streets and running errands, which country living makes somewhat difficult. i am looking forward to Spring and Summer when all the neighbhourhood and nearby gardens, parks, and wildflowers will be in full bloom, but until then i was inspired to put together a few of my favourites in celebration of the soft, subtle, and sometimes vibrant beauty of flowers and the lovely ladies who so willingly and lovingly share these glimpses from their everday lives.

credits: teresa (stone & honey) // melinda josie
amy merrick // noemie (as ink remains)



credits: jane (ill seen, ill said) // sarah (saipua)
melinda josie // jen (honey kennedy)

credits: anntorian // anabela (fieldguided)
 jane (ill seen, ill said) // noemie (as ink remains)

credits: sandra juto // chelsae (frolic!)
amy merrick // sarah (saipua)

credits: emma (emmadime) // hannah (another feather)
bri (designlovefest) // kate (for me, for you)

Bri of designlovefest put it best when she shared the above photo: "six dollar afternoon happiness." her sentiment shows how easily it is to create bursts of happiness throughout what otherwise might be a mundane, exhausting, or evern stressful day. i feel aspects of that happiness simply by browsing through my instagram feed and sharing in these deligthful moments, so THANK YOU to all the wonderful bloggers, designers, and artists whose photos i have featured here for adding bursts of happiness to my long, work-filled winter days.

xo

weekend delights

reading for my train ride // friday night snowstorm on our drive into Ottawa

glimpse of some goodies from the forthcoming nova lily porcelain series // mimosas at Sunday brunch

view of the winter landscape through the train window (somewhere in Quebec) // new Kamik rubber boots (made in Canada and 100% recyclable!) that andrew got me for spring

lovely little vintage short-sleeved sweater find in Montreal // maple pear crepe with ricotta and a side of fresh fruit, also at Sunday brunch

we're back from our weekend run into the city (me to Montreal; andrew & glasgow to Ottawa, where i met up with them again on Sunday afternoon). it went SO fast. a little too fast, but it's nice to be back in Laurentian Valley where life is cozier and much slower. i've grown so used to small-town, country living that going back to the city is somehwhat jarring. not only do i feel out of place even as i blend in, adapting to the movement and attitude of the city (which also saddens me, how immediately the city changes your state of mind and way of being), but i have become extremely sensitive to the smells! the city really does stink. the air is thick and heavy and so much harder to breathe. that being said, i also love so much of what the city has to offer: art, culture, food, shopping, education, etc. it's a love/hate relationship, i suppose. and i definitely feel myself changing as i am getting older and embracing small-town life. i didn't take too many photos over the weekend, but the few that i did seem to capture slowness rather than speed.

i won't be too active here on the blog this week as i dive into writing my comps, although i'm sure i will make some brief appearances for a breath of fresh air or change of pace. in the meantime, you can always find me on twitter and please do have a wonderful week!