Right Here. Right Now.

Home. The only place I want to be ....

What I'm wearing .... light green pants, pink socks, purple long sleeveless shirt, pink tank, light grey long sweater and green scarf. Two braids over my long hair, tied in the back. Casual for an event I helped with today.

What I'm reading .... just finishing up "Spare" by Prince Harry. A very interesting read. I have another "royal" book to start.

What's happening in my kitchen .... dd and dh are making dinner. Loudly! I don't even know what they're talking about but they are loud! Laughing and loud!

What's outside my window .... a storm is brewing outside. The wind is horrendous, the sky has turned dark and it sounds like thunder is on its way. Truthfully, we just need the rain! It's better here now but regular showers would keep the fires at bay and the green we have now stays.

What I'm thankful for .... my family, my home, my friends and our community.

What I'm smelling .... dinner cooking. I don't have much of an appetite in the morning, so it's making me feel a bit ill. Dh has promised to light one of my lovely candles after to mask the smell .... it's a good smell, just not today.

What I'm hearing .... wind, talking, cooking, laundry, tv and laughter. They both think they're pretty funny!

What I'm crafting .... items for our baby loss walk in August. Lots of time but I like to get them done now. One last thing later when it gets super busy.

What's on my mind .... it's a scrambled one tonight.

Words to live by .... "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." ~ Albert Einstein

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Bleeding Hearts.

It's finally Spring in our region when my Bleeding Heart begins to bloom. I love the tiny pink and white hearts that hang from the branches and dance in the breeze. Reminds me of the one that my mom had in our garden at the first house we lived in when we first moved to Alberta when I was 12. I had never seen one before and was fascinated by the blooms. I recall my mom not having time for gardening when we lived in Saskatchewan ~ 2 young kids, a busy career, a husband who often had to travel meant out garden was pretty basic with just trees, grass and a few bushes. I don't ever recall pots of flowers or a flower bed. When we moved provinces, I remember she was so excited to have a house with an established garden that was full of perennials. She did have to plant annuals in the brick planter under the front window but the rest was basically all done for her. Weeding was often an issue. It bugs me to this day to see weeds in our garden (pulled as quick as they come) because she didn't spend a lot of time weeding either. I always wished for a beautiful yard and it was a commitment we made to each other with our first house to never leave the yard work to sit. With the acreage, we've had to relax that a bit and learn to live with a more natural landscape vs. totally manicured. I do love the direction we've done in with our original blank canvas that is now starting to truly look like everything has purpose and a place. Permaculture and working with nature is helping but I also love our little gardens we've created around the cottage. One day, it will all be finished! How happy we'll be to just sit and enjoy it all. For now, we marvel at little Bleeding Hearts and dream of full gardens in the years to come. 

How is your sweet garden coming along?

Is it where you wish it to be or still in progress?

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

What I'm wearing .... ripped jeans, a purple t, grey tank underneath, straight hair and bare feet.

What I'm reading .... work reports and emails. Not exciting! It's a day off due to the long weekend but I'm getting ready to be back at work after 4 days at home.

What's happening in my kitchen .... dh is getting ready to make dinner once we're finished watching "Coronation Street." A Sunday dinner on a Monday.

What's outside my window .... ash, cloud, thick, smoky air. We actually had a bit of a break today when we woke up to light clouds, blue sky and no smoke. But it's back!

What I'm thankful for .... our firefighters and first responders keeping our homes safe and the fires under control, as best they can.

What I'm smelling .... the smoke in the air!

What I'm hearing .... our show on tv. And in the background, the dryer tumbling our clothes so I can fold them.

What I'm crafting .... hanging pictures in the cottage, like the sweet one above in our bedroom. Not quite "crafting" but ensuring we have some beautiful art to look at on our sweet lavender colored walls.

What's on my mind .... work tomorrow, our upcoming music festival, fund development and a new project in the works.

Words to live by .... "All things are difficult, before they are easy." ~ Thomas Fuller

Having an amazing week!

~ Chy

Welcome May.

I love May. The garden starts to really bloom, we have our dd's birthday to celebrate, the school year is coming to an end, and the weather tends to be warm but not overly hot. We can sleep with all the windows open again and change out our flannel sheets for light weave soft cotton ones. And put all the sweaters in to storage and gather the Summer clothes we've missed! However, this year, we are surrounded by wildfires and unusually warm temperatures. Wait! Let me change that! Not warm but scorching hot. We keep hitting 30 C which is totally out of character. Usually at this time, we'll be around 18 to 20. Hardly any rain hit our region in April, so this is a huge worry. It's usually this hot in late July, not May! Hoping it all changes soon. We're not used to fires here and having survived a house fire, the thought of another experience is not something we wish to go thru again. We're well insured but we love our sweet cottage and beautiful location. Fingers crossed May soon becomes a rainy month and we can relax and enjoy it!

                     How is your May going so far?

                                     ~ Chy

Goodbye April.

A beautiful and very warm month. Not very much

rain, which is a worry. Goodbye to April of 2023!

~ Chy

English Village.

I would love to take dh across the sea one day to

visit the tiny English villages we explored when

I travelled there at 16. He loves to watch "Escape

to the Country" with me and we always marvel at

the quant villages that dot the countryside. We do

hope to get there soon and stay in a little village.

~ Chy

Collecting Clothing.

Carys has been a very lucky Blythe doll

lately with new clothes arriving in the

mail box. We decided to turn my "tea

cupboard" into a tiny closet for clothing!

~ Chy

Dreamy Windows.

Some day, we will build again. For now, we're

still getting used to country living and figuring

out the cottage. But I do still dream of the next

cottage we'll build. Love these dreamy windows!

~ Chy