Our First Halloween in the Country!

 Tonight was our first Halloween

out in the country. An adventure

as we had no idea how many little

kids would come out to Trick or Treat.

Our address sign with a tiny

scarecrow and a round pumpkin.

Prairie chickens enjoying some sun

before the evening arrived.

Candles lit in our dining room.

A ghost candle to light the window.

Our little pumpkin patch!

Lanterns as dusk approaches.

I love the star reflection on the post.

Our first "guests" arrived on their tiny tractor

and wagon, with pup in tow. All the kids who

did come around were driven around the

area in wagons attached to tractors or quads.

The dads did fantastic jobs of decorating

kids "rides" with lights and music. Sweet!

How was your Halloween evening?

Did you have many children at your door?

My "Mini" Studio.

One of the items we included in our wish list for this new house was space for a true Art Studio. Not the corner of a room but an authentic, dedicated, "get messy" room. We built it in but for the sake of the budget, we chose to not completely finish it at this time. Hopefully by spring we'll be able to continue the final pieces. For now, I've put my art projects on hold. But it's been driving me crazy so my dh helped me put together our "Mini Studio" this past week. And here it is:

What's this? A corner of a room?

Not ideal and not what we envisioned.

But for now, this view will have to do!

A spot not being used and an easy choice.

I love the airiness and lightness of this corner.

A place for my fabric, lace and embellishments.

A sweet, floral lamp that I bought from a lovely lady,

for the tidy sum of just $15. A bit Laura Ashley. Love it!

Pretty shelf for some favorite treasures.

Shells gathered from our most recent trek to our

little piece of Heaven ~ Salt Spring Island.

My tray of projects and pieces to work on. The tiny

framed print is an original oil painting. 

I'm very excited to have a spot to create art, to reflect on life and in my pursuits. When the true Art Studio is all ready and I move my stuff down the hall, I think I'll really miss this temporary abode. I can see some great things happening in this sunny and quiet spot. 

Do you have a spot in your home just for you?

My Task List ....

 My task list for this month isn't getting

any smaller despite my valiant efforts!

Here's what I need to accomplish before

our upcoming November Break on the 8th:

*call our builder about final construction items

*call our gate guy to give him the go ahead

*visit the granite store to confirm we received

the correct granite ~ a big worry for me

*finalize the arrangements to dh's dad's

burial in the family plot for his cremains

*insure that our documentation is in place

for the upcoming licensing visit for our preschool

*finish up the renos at our other house

*find a suitable and long term renter for the house

*move items from our garage into the storage room

or into the studio so we can park in the garage

*call the gravel guy to come and re~gravel our road

*finish up our charity documents for this year

*get our banking in order now that our build is

almost completed and we can close out credit lines

*finish up the paperwork the at my bereavement

office for fall programming and counselling

Lots to do. Lots to worry about. Lots of deadlines.

But on the 8th of November, all this should be done

and I'll be able to enjoy some much needed down time!

How is your fall task list coming along?

Any big deadlines or worries?

**UPDATE: I have now called our builder and the gate guy.

Pat on the back for me today getting 2 items off my list!!

**UPDATE #2: I visited the granite store today and my

fears were alleviated. We did receive the right granite!!

**UPDATE #3: Finished up all the documentation

for our licensing visit. Now we just need the visit!

**UPDATE #4: Our gravel guy was here today, now

we have to wait for his quote and a date to be made.

Finally, Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving in Canada is always the second weekend in October. It's a long weekend and families choose to have the traditional meal either on the Sunday or the Monday. Each year, we make that decision based on who is able to attend. I love it when we decide to have it on Sunday, as it's a busy day and having a day off on the Monday is an extra bonus! 

This year, our little guy had to visit with his dad, so we decided to postpone Thanksgiving and wait until he would be back home. We chose the weekend of October 25th as our alternative Thanskgiving Dinner date. As we've had a long and colorful fall, this was an easy option. After moving at the end of June to our new home, performing in two Fringe Festivals, putting on two big events (August 30th and October 4th), and getting our preschool year underway at our centre, we then decided to book our holiday to begin on the 10th, when we would have normally started Thanksgiving. We came home on the 20th and we're now back in to routine. This week, getting ready for our dinner was a busy time. But so worth our efforts, in order to provide a wonderful meal, to visit with family and to take time to reflect on the bounty of our life, the opportunities available to us, the abilities we have and the safe environment we live in. We have so much to be thankful for and the thing I am most impressed with is how we reflect these feelings often, not just one day a year. Feeling fortunate to be healthy, warm, full and blessed.

Thanksgiving Day at our house was a sunny

but slightly chilly, making it a fireplace day!

We made a traditional roasted turkey, with

sage dressing, a fall salad with cranberries

and mandarin oranges, grilled brussel sprouts

and sweet potatoes with bacon, a loaded

cauliflower bake, mashed potatoes and pickles.

This fall salad was amazing with nuts, fruit

\and spinach leaves, and spicy poppy seed dressing.

Mmmm! A bit is leftover for my lunch today.

Warm and delicious and worth all the cooking.

For dessert, we had pumpkin pie. 

And a turtle cheesecake. Yummy!!

I ordered this beautiful serving dish from a friend.

My little piece of heaven.

Turkey candles to light our way.

How was your Thanksgiving Day?

What were you thankful for this year?

Ouch!

 Settling into fall and winter means

lots of projects around the house. 

One of my latest ventures includes

working on the old dollhouse. It was

time to paint the outside and I chose

a bright yellow color with a brown roof.

But the yellow was too bright, so

tonight I began to redo the paint

to tone it down a bit. This yellow

looks a bit too dark in the picture

but it's actually quite a bit lighter.

The roof color I love. Warm but solid.

Are you thinking about fall/winter projects yet?

What will you be working on for the upcoming seasons?

On the Ferry.

Part of our trek out to the tiny island is a trip on

the ferry to get us from the mainland to the cottage.

Not a huge ferry but then it's not a huge island!

Ferry exhaust as we chug along 

and a steam horn warning.

A final goodbye to our beloved island.

Pretty fall colors and the last of the morning fog.

A tiny white rental car is just ahead of the big truck,

beside the ambulance that brought someone over

and they did a transfer right at the docks. Once the

patient was handed over, they got back on the ferry.

Interesting growing spot!

Churning water as we move away from the dock.

So sad to leave. Can't wait to be back.

Pumpkins and Flowers.

This island is so colorful. I couldn't resist taking some

pics of locally grown pumpkins, organic of course!

Flowers everywhere, even for sale at the market.

Hanging baskets that will last through the winter.

Love the "shut" sign! And pretty pink blossoms. 

Flowers sprouting from the parking lot blocks.

And lining the window gardens at a local store. 

I'm going to miss the vibrant colors. And the smell

of the sea. The sweet air and the smiling locals.

Do you still have beautiful flowers where you live?

And colorful pumpkins just waiting for Halloween?

To the Market we go!

One of our favorite activities when we visit this tiny island is the famous Saturday Market. People arrive by sea plane and ferry to visit each Saturday. Everything must be handmade, baked or grown organically. A neat variety of products and every time we come, we see new ventures into "home made". We purposely plan our treks to this island so that we arrive on Saturday morning, giving us time to enjoy the Market in the afternoon (it ends at 4 pm each week) and then we stay at least 10 days, so we get 2 Saturday Markets in by the time we're gone. This time, we also had a chance to visit the new Tuesday Market, a smaller version but still a great time. Last week, when we arrived, the rain had started and the wind had really picked up, so a few stalls had already packed up to leave early, so not all the vendors were present. We still enjoyed it but it was eerily different without the sound of laughter, the smells of fresh baking and the eclectic music that is normally present. 

After a week of sun and calm breezes, warm temperatures

and clear skies, today we woke up to fog and cool weather.

So far, no rain. But not as warm as we had hoped. We'll

still head off to the Market and hope the weather changes!

Do you like to visit Farmer's Markets?

What is your favorite thing about them if you do?

My "office" this week!

There's something to be said for an outdoor office,

one with bubbles and the best view ever!

I've spent quite a bit of time in the hot tub this week

at our little cottage at the sea. A great place to reflect

on life, create new ideas, dream big and cure some aches.

How do you relax on holidays?

Do you have a hot tub or spa to use?

Wave of Light.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness day. Tonight all around the world at 7 p.m., families who have experienced the death of a baby during pregnancy or anytime after birth, gathered together in public places or alone at home, to light candles to remember their special, precious, tiny beings. Tonight, my dh and I lit two candles for our family. Two candles to represent both the stillbirths we have endured and the early losses with our miscarriages. The two small flower pillows represent our son B and our daughter C, both born too soon, but forever remembered in our hearts. The six small shells represent our tiniest babies, all six, three B's and three C's, who left their footprints on our lives but didn't stay long enough for us to capture their heart beats before they stopped. the bunny pillow is heart shaped and represents our organization that supports these special families. And the lavender, all eight pieces, reminds us how the color and the scent give us peace and healing. 

Early evening light. Soft lapping ocean tide.

A different perspective, looking down.

Close up of our symbols.

And four hours later, our one candle is still burning. It's moments like these that I wish I could be where ever they are, to look down and see the "Wave of Light" around the globe that all these incredible families have created together, and alone. What a beautiful sight it would be to see.