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goofing around in stratford.

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on a lovely sunday morning, my mother, brother and i took a short trip into stratford, ontario.  my brother chad is a fabulous photographer, i definitely consider him to be apart of the little siddall studios team, and not just because we share the same last name (maiden name that is for me now, HA!), but most recently having helped me out the first weekend in august for a wedding.  he’s a blast to work with, and just as much fun to goof around with when “not on the clock” as we did this one morning in stratford together.

he has a style that is all his own – i urge you to check it out.

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also, if you’ve never visited stratford before – you simply must go!  go see a play – or two!  take a walk around the gorgeous avon river, view the stunning houses, window shop at the cutest little places and eat your hearts out because the food is devine!

happy sunday – wherever you are!

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oh hey there! becky’s birthday’s.

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one thing about getting my bangs back, i forgot that they grow SO FAST!
also, i just celebrated my birthday 2 weeks ago today.  i turned 27 on the 27th!  hurrah!  i love that number.  a lot.
but haircut and birthday aside…

hey there blog readers! : )
how’s it going?  enjoying your summer i hope!
i sure am!  i can’t wait to share with you another baby shoot i recently did, as well as… my first wedding!  yippee!

there hasn’t been too much photo taking of food lately, with the summer hiatus of the travelling crockpot, but i’m hoping to change that very soon.  i’m constantly being beckoned to the great outdoors – whether to a park, camping, or just a long evening stroll, these months – i can’t get enough!

i encourage you to soak up the last few weeks we have of this fabulous summer – wherever you are.

Becky Gean and littlesiddallstudios – August 9th, 2014.

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self expression. pieces of many.

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my brain – heavy
my knees – weak
you came without warning
left me barely able to speak

my vocab – little
yours – textbook endless
look into my soul
where there’s more
tell me.
can you see through the darkness?

yes.

we’ll still be friends
smile and wave
though my insides be aching
i’ll brave.

cause i’m a leo
through and through.
an arrogant
stubborn
pushy
jealous
lofty
brash
vain
smug
cunning
proud
over-ambitious
patronizing
temperamental
bossy
pompous
controlling
lustful – person.
you know it’s true.

so
party on
you’re a rockstar
wherever you are.

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weekend rambles.

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there are times when i like to doodle.  mind you, i’m not very good at it – but i find it soothing.  putting a pen to paper is not the same as putting these hands to a keyboard.  it’s a different kind of creative.  this past week i spent a great deal of time contemplating my photography homework – looking deep into myself – who am i?

am i the words i put to paper?  or the words upon this screen?
as the years pass and change, do i change or stay the same?

possibly only my notebooks can tell.  and a few select special people.  people who get it – and me.
i love people so much.  such interesting beings we are.  full of mystery.  full of excitement for life.

my phone died one evening – as iphones tend to do in cold weather – and for a few hours i remembered what it was like to be disconnected from everyone in my life.  even my music.  to just be with me.

my saturday mornings are similar.  there’s a stillness that falls across our apartment.  the only sound that can be heard is the steaming and dripping of my morning coffee brewing.  it’s the time i spend with myself before heading to the farmers market that i love.  it’s my time to write, time to spend with my cat tut, time to make a leisurely breakfast, time to just stare out the window at the people below.  in silence.  don’t get me wrong – i love when friends are around.  friends who appreciate the simple life.  the joy in the slowness.  the joy in small talk.  there’s a joy in food and drink that’s shared with others.  those are special people.  hold them close.

i could continue to ramble on – but i’ll save some for another day.
go do something that makes you happy on this last day of the weekend.
be a little selfish.  you’re worth it.
and tell me – how was your weekend? – wherever you are.

Becky Gean and littlesiddallstudios – March 16th, 2014.

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the travelling crockpot – adrienne’s dinner ||

the snow has arrived in toronto again and on this chilly blustery day i thought why not warm up the soul by sharing this delicious meal that adrienne made the ladies of the travelling crockpot back in february.  adrienne sure knows how to set a mood.  it was unbelievably romantic.  the lights were dimmed, the candles lit, and flowers adorned the table.

see for yourself what we ate in the pictures below.  where do these pictures of her food take you?  what do you think it tasted like?  what ingredients can you point out?  i’m not going to give it all away now.  romanticize and fantasize for yourself and maybe, just maybe a little later on i’ll share a recipe or two from her.

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stay warm friends – wherever you are!

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road tripping to nowhere in particular.

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hey there.  that’s me behind the lens – taken last august on one of Josh and i’s many “let’s just get in the car and drive” trips.  also known as our “green adventures.”  we’d often take a quick look at google maps, pick a patch of green space we had yet to explore and just go.  not knowing what we’d find once we got there or what we would pass along the way.  it’s the mystery of it all that’s so exciting.  the free feeling of no set plans.

this cold weather has really put a damper on my soul.  every once in a while i’ll get a glimpse of sunshine and warmth but just as quickly as it comes, it goes away again bringing on the negative temperatures.  it’ll come.  soon enough.  i just have to keep reminding myself of this.

lately i just want to get up and go.  that’s where my heads been at.  GET ME OUTTA HERE!  to nowhere in particular.  bring along a few people who have the same agenda as i do – an agenda of nothing – who want to have a ton of fun while doing so.  sounds great doesn’t it?  i think so.  pack snacks, a map and my camera and i’m set.

road snacks like
roasted nuts
crisp apples
homemade granola & trail mix
thermos full of caffeine and mason jars full of lemonade.

so – who’s coming with me?  and where are we going?
let’s just jump in the car and go shall we.

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a sunny, snowy sunday snapshot + skims.

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1 | i survived the weeklong work conference – it was a blast.  i’m not joking when i say i slept for 15 hours straight upon arriving home.  i’ve ate so much food since arriving home – the most RANDOM cravings too.  i’ve ate A&W, eggs benedict, custard and fruit, mr. noodles, smart food popcorn… random i tell you.  and now i’m thinking i need to make this – there’s something about a perfectly poached egg that makes my insides go weak, they’re just SO FREAKING GOOD!

2 | did any of you watch the superbowl?  even though i’m a fan of watching football, i still find the commercials to be the best part.  this article gives you the 10 best.  it makes me happy that the muppets are a thing again.  just saying.

3 | this is a fabulous talk with charles morrison.  i fall in and out of love with writing pretty frequently and it’s people like this who re-inspire that love – he also has a fabulous voice if i do say so myself.  have you written a letter to anyone this year?  if not – well then, get on it!!!  they’ll love it!

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the travelling crockpot – becky’s dinner |||

for my third dinner, as it was around the holiday season, i wanted to do something that felt a little more special, and when i say that, i really just mean, i spent a stupid amount of $$ on a gorgeous piece of beef.  once it was all cooked up, sliced and in our mouths though, there was no complaining coming from me!  i’d buy it again and again and again.  as gordon ramsey described it – it’s something he’d be happy to eat as his last supper.  i’d have to agree.

i’d say my biggest problem with these dinners is wanting to dig in right away – who needs pictures when it’s staring you right in the face saying EAT ME!!!  but then i think about you, my wonderful readers, and i hurriedly snap away.

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menu
becky-made amaretto sours
butternut squash soup topped with maple cinnamon roasted squash seeds
beef wellington served with celeriac puree & sautéed kale, apples and onions
gingerbread cookies with royal icing

i really enjoyed making this dinner!  i planned the majority of it ahead of time so that i wasn’t scrambling last minute – which around the holidays is KEY to being stress free.  you can find the wellington recipe here – i found the video incredibly helpful.  it was nikki who gave me the inspiration to roast my squash seeds – never am i ever going to throw out squash seeds again – soooo good!  the soup was made with butternut squash and SO MUCH GINGER, which i then drowned out with apples and carrots.  the amaretto sours were my favourite though, and the most time consuming out of the entire meal when i think about it.  don’t worry,  i’ll share that recipe with you soon.  it is my favourite drink after all – it deserves a post all to it’s own.

even though the holidays are over and we’re well into january, this meal would be great to serve your special someone on valentine’s day.  instead of soup and gingerbread cookies, i’d probably do something light, like starting with a green salad and finishing with homemade raspberry sherbet.  mmm.

until the next crockpot – happy eating!

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i’m just winging it.

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take a peak at my instagram feed and you’ll quickly notice that i spend lots of time with tut and my laptop.
do not be fooled though – the truth is…
i’m just winging it.
when it comes to this blog and the back end of things.

ha ha – back end.
i’m such a child at heart.

i’ve seen it happen to other awesome bloggers i follow – site down due to maintenance – i have nightmares about this happening.  do i have a backup?  how often should i backup?  should i care?  it’s just words.  words i never want to forget though.

one day this site is not going to work and i’m not going to know why.
because – i’m just winging it.

are you someone who’s just winging it too?  here’s hoping i’m not alone.
what can i say – i’m a creative first and techie second – but i’m learning!  google is a wonderful thing.

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you’ve got mail… the real kind.

there’s a wonderful mystery to receiving a parcel or letter in the mail.  and not just any parcel or letter – it’s the kind that comes from a real person.  and with the news of canada’s upcoming postal service change – all the more fitting.

i am one of lucky few who get to open such a package.  a package packed by a real person.  no machine was used in the making of.  the grin that comes across my face is like none other.  little notes and treasures hidden among the biodegradable packaging peanuts.

i am, of course, talking about parcels specifically sent from my mother.

when did it all begin? hmm… i believe it was my first year at college.  my parents own their own business – Workshop Supply – so naturally, my mom is able to ship things across the country with ease.

i remember feeling so independent the first time i received such a package.  i even had to show ID upon picking it up – i’m so grown up i thought.

laundry detergent
a new towel
articles ripped out of magazines
old pictures

were but a few of the items that came inside.  7 years has passed since i moved to toronto and i’m still receiving packages in the mail.  last month i opened one up to find a trinket box my grandma had given me long ago, probably lost and then found in my childhood bedroom, some pictures and birthday cards from highschool, a stamp, gold embossing powder, a pin of a christmas present and a tiny note from a friend hidden inside the trinket box.  it arrived to my work, finding its way to my desk.  (mom, christie – you both sure made my day!  thank you again.)

grandma-gift

when was the last time you sent something in the mail to someone?  i joined a postmark society a little while back, and don’t like to admit that i have yet to send my blogger pen pal a letter.  i even have a letter i was supposed to send to someone in Japan back in, oh, i don’t know… JUNE!  i’m challenging myself to do both of those things this week, because, who doesn’t like getting mail from a real person!  on time or not!  i even made both of my grandmas the little package pictured above as their christmas present.  stamped january through to december – i will write to them once a month, giving updates on the odd and awesome happenings of my life.  i’ve already received a letter from one of them!

i encourage everyone to take the time to send something to someone in the mail.  it will be fun for the both of you!  fun for you because you get to decide what to send – a package, a postcard, letter, a doodle, whatever you fancy!  and if you don’t tell them by text or tweet ahead of time, they’ll come home to a pleasant surprise one day.  the unexpected can be fun!  just don’t tell them if and when you’re sending it – because if you forget or it gets lost, or the dog eats it… they’ll never be the wiser.  classy.

***if you stumbled upon this blog hoping to read about one of my (and i’m sure one of your) favourite romantic comedies – you’ve got mail – then i suggest you head on over to Design Sponge, and check out the post that Amy put together inspired by the film.  or just go watch it – because it’s an awesome movie!  probably on my top 10 list to be perfectly honest.

Becky Gean and littlesiddallstudios – January 15th, 2014.