meet alina
Welcome! How are you? I hope you are well. However you find yourself here, I hope you find this a warm, inviting place. When you exchange your precious time, browsing the content I have curated for you, I hope to inspire and leave you in a better place than when you first landed on my blog. Wether it’s a recipe, an inspiring story or a tutorial that sparks your creativity — all held together with beautiful imagery and visuals to enjoy.
So take a deep breath … and just take a minute from the ever flowing pace of life. As a mom of four I know exactly how full life can be. Sometimes we find ourselves just going through the motions of life and we loose touch with our creative side. I am a firm believer we all have one. Creativity to me is like child’s splay, and if you have ever watched a child play, you would know that it is a beautiful thing to witness.
So wether we’re at home washing dishes, changing diapers, doing unending loads of laundry or rushing about trying to balance motherhood, relationships, careers, appointments, duties etc. Let us not get lost in it. There is joy to be had in the mundane tasks, not just the epic milestones of life. Finding joy and romanticizing the everyday is one of my most favorite ways to live in the moment. Being fully grateful for our one precious life.
Born in Europe, moved to Canada with my family at five years old and was placed in school without knowing a word of English. I grew up moving a lot, having lived in Manitoba, British Columbia and the later part of my childhood in Ontario. We eventually ended up living on a country property where I first fell in love with free range chickens, our first puppy and loads of kittens. Spending the summers weeding, watering and growing a garden with my mom. Playing at the lake with my siblings, camping adventures and countless bonfires. I was always a creative child and loved learning new skills. I still remember hand sewing red and white gingham curtains for our white barn on the property. Yes you read that right… our barn needed cute curtains.
1990
Said my final goodbye to my mamma earth side and entered the most difficult life changing years of my life. With deep and profound loss, you are gifted a lens on life that is marked with clarity and courage to change what is not serving you and the life you wish to live. It sharply defines and moves you with intense purpose to curate your one precious life. It reminds you that our time here is indeed finite and what we do with the days we have been gifted matters.
2014
We closed on our home in Nova Scotia days before Christmas. We arrived Christmas Eve with just enough hours to spare to put up a Christmas tree and presents under the tree for our two little boys in an empty house. All our belongs still in boxes in the garage. I had still not seen the house in person and it was one of the biggest acts of faith on my part, in my life. A journey I will have to recall and develop further throughout the stories on this blog.
2018
After being fully convinced I was meant be a boy mom and settling quite well into that role. God surprised us all with our sweet baby Girl. No one prepares you for the healing you feel when that momma-daughter bond gets restored. She is our Cherry on Top and has her brothers and daddy wrapped around her little fingers and we couldn’t love her more.
2023
2005
Married my high school sweetheart two years after graduation. Going through the journey of life together from a young age has been one of my greatest blessings. Together we inspire each other to be the best versions of ourselves as we build our dream life together. I’m a huge fan of getting married young when you find the one you can’t live without.
2012
Becoming parents for the first time completely transformed our lives. We were both filled with so much love and joy all while facing the steepest learning curve a parent faces when having a newborn placed in their arms. My favourite motherhood quote is by Elisabeth Elliot “The process of shaping the child, shapes also the mother herself. Reverence for her sacred burden calls her to all that is pure and good, that she may teach primarily by her own humble daily example.”
2017
We welcomed our second son, and due to our busy lifestyles became passing ships in the night. We knew change was needed and we dreamed of slowing down to cherish our children’s childhood. We wanted to raise them wild and free, God willing in the country with plenty of room to roam. We were desperate for a radical change and refining of our family values and legacy. This is when our dream of moving to Nova Scotia finally took shape.
2021
Our third and final son joined our lives as we were living our best country life with a flower and vegetable garden, a variety of free range chickens, an assortment of ducks, kittens, our first family dog, and four troublesome goats.
“It would be my honor to capture your special memories and create a lasting legacy you can cherish for a lifetime”
Alina
a few of my favorite things
Gathering
farm fresh eggs never gets old. Also being mindful of nutrition and how we fuel our bodies.
Aiming to swap all my cleaning and household products with non-toxic options to maintain a high standard of health and wellness in our home.
Being called “mamma” by my four beautiful children is a honour and privilege. Capturing them on camera is one of my most favourite pastimes.
Coffee. Need I say more?
Showing my children the world around them and raising them to be in awe of nature.
Keeping a well organized, clutter free home all while still maintaining an element of style & cozy.
Packing picnics and going for many walks and adventures with my family.
Maintaining a willingness to learn and be teachable.
Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.
This is one of my favorite quotes I came across years ago when I purchased my first DSLR camera. It touched me so much that I still remember it to this day. At the time I became frustrated with myself for not having the skills to capture a beautiful scene just as I saw with my own eyes. It fuelled me to learn everything about photography that I could. I bought books, watched tutorials, took thousands of bad photos until finally, it all started to come together. I can now say that my camera is like an extension of my body. Having a camera in my hands to capture my families memories is one of the greatest gifts I could have ever been given. Because as the quote states, long after we have forgotten a photograph remembers.
QUOTE BY AARON SISKIND