Mother's Day.

 

To all who are mothers with little ones, Happy Mother's Day. To all those with now grown up babies, Happy Mother's Day. To all those who are mourning the loss of a precious baby or child, I hold you dearly in my heart today. To those who are missing their moms who have died, or those who have a mom who cannot clearly remember that today is special, you pain is known by many and I hope you know we all think of you as well. Today is a beautiful reminder of where we come from, who we strive to be and who we become. But it can also be bittersweet. Be gentle to those around you as they navigate a million and one feelings on a day like today. 

No breakfast in bed for me this morning as we are 8 months in to Intermittent Fasting, so no eating in the morning. But lunch was amazing ~ leftover pasta from last night's feast that we ordered from The Olive Garden. I wasn't sure if mine would be okay on the 2nd day but it was actually even better than last night. We had a small sleep in and then I had a workout in our little gym. Showered and listened to dgs's radio show. Went outside to take the covers off our outdoor furniture and sat in the sun for a bit. So grateful for the rain we've received for the last 2 days. Everything is magically green again. The trees have leaves that seem to blossom even more, every time I look up to look at our landscape. Soon we won't be able to see our neighbors house next door. We did a walk around the yard, sat in the sun and made our landscaping to do list, pottered about in the greenhouse, got the Adirondack chairs out from the potting shed, along with some of my bigger pots, ate lunch, and we've been sitting outside every since. Dh has just gone in to do his workhout, so I might go in and work on a project OR write a bit more of my grant. It's due next Saturday but I'd like to send by Thursday at the latest. I work on it a bit each day so it's not so daunting. Our landscaping to do list is quite long but we had a bit of sticker shock when we received the 1st of 3 quotes back ~ $52,000 to do all we hope to accomplish in the next year. Yikes! For now, we'll wait for the other quotes but likely will end up either doing it all ourselves or breaking it down and letting someone else do the big we feel are out of our league. I was surprised that dh's first reaction was "ya, no, we can do it all!" Proud of how far he's come over the years in taking on these tasks instead of paying someone else. He's feeling pretty confident that we could do it all, except for re~grading the front path and re~gravelling the driveway. I agree on both those points. The rest is a lot of work but manageable. And much more reasonable in cost. I love projects so not worried that it will be too much. But it will definitely be a later completion date as we spread it all out. Wish us luck as we put our energy in to creating beauty!

Quiet afternoon planned, then a call to wish my mom a beautiful day, dinner and a favorite show or 2. I hope your day is just as you hoped, or filled with love from those around you if it's a hard one. Every day, we miss our little ones who died at birth. I know the feelings that surround loss during special days. Take good care of yourself today. 

Namaste!

~ Chy

Birthday Girl.

Yesterday was our daughter's birthday and it was a day

filled with love and good memories, gifts and cake,

candles and light. She was greeted with warm wishes

at her preschool where she teaches and from family

and friends in person and online throughout the day.

Her request for dinner was "breakfast" and we ended

the day with a small cake. On the weekend, we'll do

it again, with her favorite ice cream cake and another

gift or two. A second birthday in lockdown but we

are all so thankful for her sunny smile and her energy.

Happy Birthday sweet Chynna~Jade!

~ Chy

Lazy Sunday?

We have worked hard to make sure our Sundays are laid back, even lazy. Or at least we've attempted to get this in to place. But then we do our workouts in the morning and have energy. So what happens when you have energy? You start doing things that turn your "lazy Sunday" in to a work day! Really going to have get better at NOT using Sunday as a work day. Yesterday, after my workout and shower, I spent a couple of hours mixing up soil less soil, then planted 80 cups of flower seeds for the garden ~ Canterbury Bells, Sweet Peas, Delphiniums, Soapwort, Batchelor Buttons, Foxglove and more Lavender. Can you imagine if they all germinated and bloomed? Fingers crossed this works. The rest of the day was laundry, emails, writing, a founders meeting for our radio station, working on the beginnings of a Strategic Plan, then making a list of grants to write this month, and finally, a short video to honor "International Bereaved Mother's Day" to post. A good day and the only thing that kept us indoors for most of it was the cool air and the rain that was here and there. Today has started out with a full sky of blue and no clouds. Hoping it warms up so we can be outside later. Meetings this morning and then time for catching up on projects for the rest of the morning. A meeting this afternoon with a community that would like to increase programming for their residents. Tonight? Maybe writing. Or read my book. Or watch a show that we've PVR'd. We'll see.

Photos above: my sweet Holly Hobbie plant pot from my childhood that I'm potting a sweet tiny plant I've been nurturing. Will do an update photo later with the finished look. And below that .... dinner from last night. So good! And the best: leftovers for lunch today. Mmmm ....

Wishing you a beautiful Monday!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

Today, around the World, bereaved mothers are being held and cared for as they remember their sweet babies, or precious children, who have died. The week before traditional Mother's Day is International Bereaved Mother's Day. An opportunity to create awareness and seek support, this day is filled with broken hearts, copious tears and heart wrenching memories. Today, my family remembers our precious little ones with love: Bretton, Ciara, Birkley, Cabriola, Cambria, Beau, Cree and Bentley. Forever in our hearts. 

What I'm wearing .... my grey snow leggings, a soft deep rose hoodie, grey socks and my teal slippers.

What I'm reading .... I'm about half way thru "No Ordinary Life" by Suzanne Redfearn.

What's happening in my kitchen .... Sunday dinner is cooking ~ chicken with veggies in a stir fry with sauce and rice.

What's outside my window .... sunny but super cold. It did rain earlier today but the wind has died down and now the sun is brightening the day. Lovely ending.

What I'm thankful for .... good health and inspiring projects.

What I'm smelling .... dinner cooking ~ smells so good.

What I'm hearing .... the tv and the fan on the stove. And talking. There is always talking in the cottage. I will forever cherish the sound of loved ones voices.

What I'm crafting .... finished the 2nd phase of our "grow op" of veggie seeds and today, annual and perennial flowers.

What's on my mind .... worries that I don't want to think about today. I'm trying to learn to set things "over there" so they don't cloud my mind 24 hours a day. It's slow going but I'm determined to get there. 

Words to live by .... "Love is all you need ...."

Wishing you a beautiful week. 

~ Chy

Budding May.

Happy May 1st! I'm getting so excited that our Earth, our landscape is starting to green up. But it's so dry that it's taking a bit for the buds to open. We need some really good rain. It did rain a bit here and there yesterday and even some the day before. But nothing that even Gary the Gnome was able to capture in his little measuring vessel. I can see rain in the forecast for next week. We'll see if it comes true. For now, the trees are budded and ready to go, and we are seeing life in the gardens. Small but there. I am so excited.

Today is going to be a tough work day. Typically I have our kids grief program on Saturday mornings and counselling in the afternoon. But I worked yesterday at hospice, and today i was just going to do the kids program in the morning and take the afternoon off. We now have a resident who will die this afternoon so once the kids program is done, I'll drive in to the big city and be at hospice for the family and the staff as this loved one transitions from life to death. A sad day but for this resident and his family, the ending they hoped for. Once everything is done there, I'll come home and do some notes, and then close my book for a few days. 

We bought the wood to make the decking for our shed, and we're hoping to get that sorted tomorrow with the final decision of where it will sit and then getting that spot ready for the build. I'm not working out on the treadmill today as my legs are very achy but I am going to stretch this morning before my shower and then do my weights later today. It's a blue sky day at the moment, so I'm sure a bit of time in the sun on the deck will occur as well. 

Hold your loved ones tight. Give them some extra love today. Life is short. Embrace it all right to the very last breath.

Namaste my blogging buddies.

~ Chy

Goodbye April.

Goodbye April. You were a great month. Not

enough rain for May flowers but still lovely!

~ Chy

Love in a Box.

We are so loved at our hospice. Our work is heart centred and difficult at times, but the moments with our residents and their families make it worth the time and the tears. Today when I went in to support our staff and our residents and family members, I picked up my "Love in a Box" gift that was curated by one of our donors. Such a neat idea and one that I'll always remember as a sweet way to show how much our work is appreciated. With cookies and salty snacks, gummies and popcorn, I am looking forward to indulge in this special treat. A little "love in a box!"

Namaste.

~ Chy

Piano Lamps.

Since moving in to our little cottage, I have dreamed of tall lamps on either side of the piano that is in our dining room. For a while, I had a tall, but small lamp on one side, but I truly didn't like the lopsided look. The lamps we recently found via FB Marketplace ended up in our bedroom as the shades were too wide for the narrow piano top. We did move the tiny lamps that did sit on our bedside table to the piano but the scale wasn't right. I knew at some point, just the right ones would come along. And they did! I saw a pop up the other day, likely because I had been looking at lamps, and contacted the seller right away. They were available and I made arrangements to pick them up. I was so excited when I got them out to my car, realizing from her conversation and the condition that they had never been used. She was moving and needed to downsize and for $30 (for both), I was happy to help her out. We replaced the original bulbs, which were quite bright, to a softer glow and got the look I was hoping for. Now we have to get the curtains back up, once I find the right lace to add to them. It's all coming together, slowly. One little step at a time. 

My full moon woes day got better as the day wore on. And today is going to be great! A quieter morning, then a meeting with my team, a larger meeting with all the staff, a counselling session with a great client and then tonight, I have a couple of lines to complete on a grant that is due on Friday. I love pushing "submit" and am hopeful we'll receive the funds. To have our upcoming workshops paid for in full means we can offer them to the parenting community at no charge. With Covid, this is one way to support our local parents and I'm looking forward to this new collaboration with another organization. Win, win! After the grant is submitted, I'll watch the final episodes of "The Secrets She Keeps" and then it's off to sleep. Not super exciting but things I look forward to, especially after a couple of tough days. Rain is in the forecast for the next little bit, which we so need. Not only will it keep grass fires at bay but green everything up. Our little seedlings are starting to pop up in our cups and I can't wait to get them in to the garden boxes in the veggie patch this year. Already dreaming of fresh peas from the pod and crunchy sweet carrots. And lavender in the flower beds and along the garden paths. Big dreams.

It's time to say goodbye for now. 

Have a great day! Namaste.

~ Chy