(In case you were “wondering” — yes, Husbo made this and, yes, he is amazing!)

Friends can knock you down with too much karaoke and wine but the really great ones will pick you right back up again with a good cuppa coffee and a divine breakfast.

I have to admit, there is something about snow that gets me in the holiday spirit.  And I didn’t actually know this about myself until we’d experienced the so-called and much-maligned “brown” Christmas.

But then it came.  That white, velvety, hush-hush blanket of snow that we’d all been waiting for.

Okay, so it was a couple of days late but we didn’t mind.

So instead of flying 1600 miles to spend Christmas with my family, we made the short trip across Dupont to spend time with some of our favourite people (some of whom we just so happen to be related to).

And here are a few snaps:

(And even the newest addition to the family, little Gemma, made an appearance “live via satellite!”  She’s such a Hollywood baby already.)

It’s love at first sight.

This post was inspired by a beautiful tribute I saw on the New York Times today.

I wish I knew about it sooner because our family lost someone really special this year and I really wanted to tell people about her.  So, here goes.

.

I met Grandma Thelma in May 2005 — at her 95th birthday party. She wore a matching bubble gum pink suit, with the smile and personality to match.

Grandma Thelma was a bona fide world traveler and loved to tell stories.  She knit little dolls and animals in her spare time and listed mint juleps among her favourite cocktails.  She loved her coffee piping hot.

For the last several years, Grandma Thelma and I were penpals.  And whenever I’d send a letter or card, I could always expect her handwritten reply right away.

Four years ago, we moved into a loft on Carlaw Avenue.  I wrote to tell her about it and she was so excited when she wrote back.  Turns out she used to live on Carlaw too, back when she was a little girl.  It was hard for me to imagine that on the Carlaw Avenue she knew, there were more horses on the streets than there were cars.

Grandma Thelma passed away this September.  She was 101 but, if you let her get away with it, she’d say she was 102.

We saw her just a few days before she’d passed.  She was really tired and, for the first time ever, she wasn’t waiting for us when we arrived; perched atop on her bed, ready to show us around and tell us what she’d been up to.  There were balls of yarn and little hand-knit dolls all over her room.  A tiny pair of legs, with needles still attached, sat unfinished on her dresser.

That last day, she told us was about how she loved being active and playing sports.  She used to swim as a young girl with her sister near the Scarborough Bluffs and was a lawn bowler well into her 80s.  Being active, she believed, was the reason why she had lived such a great, long and healthy life.

But I think having a big heart really helped too.  Even though I wasn’t born her granddaughter, she really was my Grandma Thelma.

.

If someone had asked me three weeks ago what I’d be doing on December 22nd, my grunt in reply would’ve been: pajamas, couch, chips & movies.  I wanted to be on holidays two weeks ago.

Thankfully, I’m nearing the lit end of this dark tunnel and will be able to let ya’ll in on the surprise very, very soon.

I’ve been working hard on some big-type things and, while I’m really excited about it, it also sucks the breath from my chest.  And with the winter chill making itself known, it now takes twice the usual effort to just fall out of bed in the morning.  So, coupling cold weather inertia with big, looming deadlines means for a whole lot less energy for fun things, like updating my blog and showering.

.

I’ve also been trolling through a battalion of hard drives, seeing images that I’d hadn’t seen in a long time (and actually kinda forgot about!).

So, in lieu of actually showing you any new photos (of which I have none anyway), here’s some snaps from the past!

.

Found these little nuggets from a Simpo dinner my uber-talented and hard-working brother-in-law, Aldo, did a couple years ago.  (Note to self: do not look at these photos while hungry.  Like now.)

My other uber-talented and hard-working brother-in-law, Tony, was there to help, too.

.

Anyway, looking that kinda made my empty stomach weep so, yeah.  Maybe it’s time for bed.

But don’t worry, I’ll be seeing you soon.

.

If it means anything, I haven’t been doing much.  Shot a couple of projects, took a few days off, went outta town for a little bit and am hardly taking any personal photos at all.

But it has been real nice, being able to take a breath and slow it all down.

.

Of course, there are big and beautiful things in the works.  I’m hoping that next year is going to be even better and I’ll have some exciting news for ya’ll soon!

In the meantime, here’s a little sneak peek on something that I’ve been working on lately:

.

Do you remember my interior designer friend Sarah?

Well, I’ve been working with her and her business partner, Luiza, on getting some photos together for their soon-to-be launched new website.

I’ve never really shot interiors or still life photos before but I was excited for the challenge.  After all the hours and hours and hours that I already spend trolling on interior design blogs, I figured — why not try shooting something that I’m already passionate about?

It was a real fun day and I don’t want to spoil the surprise but, fingers crossed, it’s going to be great.