BACK IN THE LAND OF THE BLOGGING

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a fantastic holiday season and that 2013 is well and truly off to a stunning start. I’ve been on a much-longer-than-anticipated hiatus from blogging for the past two months so I do want to apologize for my sudden drop off from The Spring (and all associated social media). All I can say is, I needed the break. And life has been crazy! In the past few months some big plans have been hatched, I’ve done a ton of travelling, and I did manage to get a whole whack of academic work tucked up under my belt. Now that all my refreshing’s out of the way I’m super excited to be back at the helm of this little blog… In fact my bloggy juices have been flowing lately and I’m bursting with recipes, projects and all sorts of other ideas I can’t wait to share with you right here this year! Let the editorial calendar planning begin!

Home for the Holidays

So here’s what I didn’t blog about while I was away… At the beginning of December I went home for the holidays and unplugged completely. (ahh, that explains the ghostly winter pallor!) It’d been two years since being back in my home-town of Toronto; I didn’t realise until I got there how much I needed that special brand of comfort and grounding that only comes from time spent tucked back up in the family nest. It was a super fun month of visiting with friends, busting out all the festive family traditions, getting my butt whooped at the best CrossFit box ever, reggae dancing (my family is very into kitchen reggae dancing) and scarfing El Asador fish tacos with my brother in front of episode after episode of Love it or List it. Totally. Awesome.

The Spring is Moving!

Now on to THE BIG NEWS! The blog (and I) are moving to Brisbane! Next week the removalists are taking our things from this tiny inner-Sydney apartment back to The Spring Cottage, our sweet little home with a beautiful leafy garden, cool clear pool, my gorgeous mother-in-law next door, and Andy the Dog ready and waiting! The Spring started out as a bit of a love letter to the Sunshine State and I’m beyond thrilled to be getting back to living beautifully in Brisbane once again!

We’ve had a great year in Sydney and planned to stay longer. But after a whole lot of soul searching Mr. Spring and I decided to hit the life reset button at the end of 2012. We missed being closer to family. And we need the space to give following our passions a real go. He’ll be trading in his three piece suit and city office for a quiet writers desk from which to plot his path to published authorhood and return to scholarship. I’m sceptical about my own future in academe, but I love the satisfaction that comes from teaching and the creative buzz I get from blogging. This year I hope to get a little bit closer to figuring out how to design a real-life gown-up career for myself that encompasses them both. No small task, but now’s the best chance we’ll ever have of making magic happen… so bring on the Brisvegas!

Paleo Chocolate Milk

Because I promised y’all this recipe way back at the end of October… So here… with my apologies for tardiness… are the instructions for preparing the most refreshingly satisfying beverage of summer. This paleo/vegan/sugar-free take on chocolate milk comes via Sarah Wilson and it ranks seriously high up on my list of the best discoveries of 2012.

Ingredients: 250ml pure coconut water +1 tbs raw cocoa powder + 1/3 frozen banana, sliced.

Directions: Pop all ingredients into a blender and blitz. Pour into a large glass, enjoy, and feel restored!