The Diptych Project: Leaves

 The Diptych Project: two friends (once neighbors & now an ocean apart), one theme

Top photo: Ann, bottom photo: Evie

I love seeing new life sprouting everywhere!  As we have only been in our house since late December,  it has been fun to watch corners of our yard blossoming and revealing beautiful flowers that we had no idea existed under the piles of snow and frozen ground of the winter.  I am looking forward to more new life growing as we have planted a vegetable garden in our backyard.  As a recent apartment dweller, this is very exciting!  I must share some photos as it's been a really fun learning process.

Please visit Evie's blog to learn more about what inspired her photo.

You can see our previous diptychs here.

Flurries

Big, beautiful snowflakes have been floating past my window all day long.  Everything looks so peaceful covered with a blanket of fresh snow.  It's quiet as the boys nap and I have time to slow down and pause.  All this will change shortly and soon we will be apart of it all, our hats and mittens dusted with snow.  For now, though, I will enjoy the stillness of this moment.

Trick or treat

Last night was a lot of fun - sweets, chocolate, pumpkins, crisp air.  We had a lovely time meeting our neighbors and I especially loved hearing people coo over our boys in their animal costumes (proud mama)!  

One of the streets near us was the star of the show last night.  Houses were decorated and neighbors on their front porches - there was such an atmosphere of community as families walked around in groups of friends.  It really made me miss our friends and wish we had our group to walk around with but also made me hopeful that we are in the right place to build new relationships.  

A family who has been a huge help to us in our relocation has an annual Halloween party and their house was packed to the brim with neighbors.  Costumes abounded, food and drink flowed, and many new connections were made.  We would have loved to stay longer but alas with little ones and no babysitters yet (we need to work on this!) we had an early curfew.  We went home with full tummies and thankful that even though we are new here we are a part of a community.

City glimpses

Here are some glimpses of our new city.  We love the eclectic mix of homes and art and shops downtown.  There is so much to explore and discover: from first Friday art events to farmers markets to canals to walk along.  We are looking forward to trying new restaurants, going to festivals (there is even a covered bridge festival nearby!), meeting local artists and investing in this community.  I look forward to sharing with you what we discover!

Tucked away

This afternoon Samuel and I headed out for a much needed stroll (we were both getting a bit of cabin fever!). The weather was amazing today and will be for the next several days- yippee! We set out without a destination in mind. We browsed the charity shop and the used furniture shop and then headed towards the street where Adrian lived during our first year of marriage. Even though it's only a 10 minute walk away I am scarcely in that neighborhood.

As we walked along I was looking at the various houses that we were passing when to my amazement I noticed a little house at the end of a drive, nestled behind a larger home. I took a double take and then decided to walk down the drive to see it up close. It was the sweetest house and had this great, overgrown front garden with a table and chair in it. It looked like it had just been picked up from the countryside somewhere and just set down in London. It was so private and cute and I loved it! Can we move in?

Oops... Safety Last

Above is the bike my husband gave me for my birthday/Christmas this past year. I absolutely love it, but truth be told I don't ride it very often. One of the reasons is because I don't feel super confident navigating London roads and this is compounded by the fact that I still don't have helmet. I know... shock, horror...

So, I need some advice! Can anyone recommend a bicycle helmet? I would love something with a bit of style, but that would do it's job well protecting my precious head. Thanks!

Women's Breakfast

Saturday morning we had a women's breakfast at my church and it was such a success! One of my friends has had the idea for while to plan something that would bring the women in our area together to empower and celebrate them. We had about 55 women come out early Saturday morning (it was an 8.45 am start!). I was in charge of decorations and was really happy with how everything came together. The best part for me was seeing women of all ages spending time together connecting. There is so much for us to learn from one another as women, isn't there.

My walk on Sunday

The weather was so gorgeous on Sunday as I walked to church. The leaves were everywhere and the sun was giving everything such a beautiful golden hue. I had to stop and take a photo. I love sunny Sunday mornings!