Special Read.

We love all things British, so it was

a special treat to receive this lovely

and special read from my dd. A great

"in a hot tub on a cold winter's night"

kind of gift. Love it and can't wait

for a nice soak. Here's the link:

http://www.britain-magazine.com/news/preview-the-julyaugust-2015-issue/

At Three. At Four.

 I was in a wedding at the young age of three. I truly

remember every single detail, including this photo as

I examined the bride's garter. My favorite memory

of this special day was dancing with my dad, on his feet!

At age four, sporting a new hair cut, cat eye sunglasses

and a little suitcase, which must have meant I was

set to stay at or was leaving my grandparents house for 

the weekend.That's their wee house in the background. 

Do you remember being the age of three or four?

What do you hope your children will remember?

A Bit Bigger!

On the deck of our grandparents cottage at the beach.

I'm on the far right and my cousins are beside me.

We all spent our summers with our grandparents

while our parents had a "holiday" from all of us.

I still love DQ milkshakes. But at this time in

my life, I could never drink a large one again!

My childhood was filled with angst, adventures,

love, memories, tough times and diversity. I often

wished I grew up in a more secure home, like we'd

watch on tv. Looking back, yes, it was a bit off

beat than other homes but it was a loving place, 

with intentional parenting mixed with a young

couple trying to find their way. Would I change

it now? Nope. It was our family, our life, our

own experience and that's what makes us unique!

I would not ever want to go back and change it.

What was your growing up years like with your family?

Did you ever wish you were in a different situation?

Presenting ....

.... me! This was my parents birth announcement

when I was born on this special day many years ago.

I was chubby and very dark at birth and clearly

a bit skeptical about what all this life was about!

The Power of Tea.

I'm stuck at home, lounging on the couch,

watching the world outside the windows

pass me by today. Feeling sorry for myself!

But the warm tea and sweet cookie helps.

Nasty bronchitis has invaded my wee body.

Knocking me down and making me rest.

Getting paperwork done, in between the

naps. Thankful it's a quiet week for tasks.

How are you feeling this season so far?

Do you find tea makes everything better?

Beautiful Thrifty Treasure.

 I found this beautiful Karla Dornacher

"Every Day Thoughts" Book Calendar. 

I love her art work. So whimsical.

Today's verse: "Love is a flower 

that blooms in all seasons".

My gift for you today!

Introducing Hope.

A week old today, she is a welcome

gift in a world that is hurting. 

Her family is so lucky to have her,

safe and sound and sweet all around.

I was honored to be there on her first day 

on Earth. I can't wait to watch her grow!

Where have you found "hope" lately?

Thursday Treasures #2.

Welcome to the Thursday Treasures for the 2nd week. 
I'm looking forward to seeing who joins in and shares 
something special about themselves, something they 
found, something they collect, something they heart. 
All are welcome! I'll post the linky below. Have fun!!

New Life.

Today, I had the privilege of holding the tiniest baby girl. Born just 6 hours earlier, she weighed in at just under 6 pounds. A head of light hair, tiny fingers and toes, and the smallest cry you'd ever hear. She is the 3rd child in this family, the 1st girl after 2 boys. Their middle child, 2nd boy, died last year, at birth. She is their new baby, their new hope, their new future. It was an honor to hold her today, as only 2 of us were in invited to visit. No other friends, no family, just the 2 of us who held their hands when the went through the beginnings of grief when their son died. The reward for our compassion and care was to meet their little miracle, their "rainbow" baby. The calm after the storm. Today, in the midst of all that is wrong in this world, a little girl, with the middle name "Hope" reinforced that out of hardship, grace, beauty and hope can be born.  

Will you join in?

I've really enjoyed being part of "linky parties". It's a great way to check out new blogs and meet new blogging friends! Really wanted to create my own and though I know it will take a while to catch on, I hope in time it will be a great place to showcase what we love, what we treasure and what keeps us going. I chose to call it "Thursday Treasures" for a couple of reasons. It's my favorite day of the week, I love treasures and it isn't the beginning of the week or the very end. Hope you'll join in!! 

Here's the link with a bit of information. Feel free to pass is on ....

An InLinkz Link-up

War.

So many time this week I've tried to write a post about the recent tragic events in Paris. The words swirl around in my head but I just couldn't get them down on the page. Trying to make sense of a very senseless act has been difficult. I've never understood the rationale behind killing innocent people. I've never understood the desire to create conflict that ends in bloodshed. I've never understood how someone can wake up in the morning knowing that because of their actions, their grand plan, for many, it will be their last day on Earth. I've never understood the need to control others and the need for power. I've never understood the history. I've never understood war. I'm not sure I want to understand.

Maybe it's better I don't, for the act of trying to understand creates in me so much anxiety. I'm sure this is true for others right now, as we watch our world take sides on many conflicts, not just this one event. 

I remember leaning about war when I was 10. I remember long discussions in the classroom about nuclear war and what our last days on this planet might look like. I remember learning about the Holocaust and the millions of people who died because of their beliefs. I remember my grandparents talking about how they lived during both World Wars. I remember crying myself to sleep at night, head tucked under the pillow to quiet my sobs, as I wished for more time to be a kid and a future to be an adult. I remember my parents saying the wars of the past were done and the wars of the future maybe would never come. But that didn't stop me from worrying at an age when innocence was still supposed to be present. It wasn't fair to have to think about such horrible times but it also did give me a sense of gratitude as a child, then as a teen and now as an adult that we are fortunate to live in a country that is peaceful and somewhat removed from the world of conflict.

At least for now. 

I still have that gratitude. But I also have guilt. How can I enjoy a sunny day when someone else is mourning? How can I complain about the price of gas when someone else has nothing to eat? How can I be upset if someone cuts me off in traffic when someone else has to wonder if the next time they step outside their front door, will it be their last day to live? How can I be so selfish?

I'll never understand, I'll never stop worrying and I'll never stop remembering. 

Tonight, I wish for world peace. Forgiveness and rebuilding. Community and support. 

If only my wish could come true.

Warm and Cozy ....

,,,, and ready for bed!

We finally put fairy lights above our bed. And with

the fireplace on to warm up our room, it feels very

cozy for a dark, winter's night. With all the terror

in the world tonight, I'm thankful for this little nest.

Do you have a favorite spot in your house?

Where do you get away from the outside world?

Sunrise in our Bedroom.

I captured this moment in time the other morning.

The sunrise, pouring in through our bedroom window.

Hitting the wall and moving higher as the sun rose.

The bed post and my dh's bedside lamp shadowed.

A Surprise Snow Day!

The Farmer's Almanac and local 

forecasters have predicted for us

an unusually warm and dry winter

this year. So far, they've been right.

In our County, grass is still green, flowers are

still blooming and everyone is confused!

But on Remembrance Day, we woke to a world of

snowy white and icy branches. We had plans to go

into town but the magical landscape gave us the

chance, on a holiday day, to stay home and be warm.

We cherished our day off and spent

some time marveling at the new snow.

Our first winter in the cottage. I'm

sure in a few months, we'll be very

tired of the snow but yesterday, it

did represent the start of winter.

Sadly, today, the snow is all gone and

we're back to work with sun all around.

It was lovely to have the fireplace on,

while we sipped pots of tea and made

big cups of hot chocolate, with tiny

squares of marshmallow confetti. We

watched old movies and snuggled under

our new couch blankets, with no cares.

Have you had your first snow for the season?

Did you notice I've changed my mini art studio around?

Wordless Wednesday.

Peace.

A couple of weeks ago, a group of my mom

friends got together on a Friday night and

spent some time creating art for our homes.

I chose a vintage frame, ribbons and baubles. 

And came up with this little gem.

Peace, a word I love and 12 gold

baubles, representing my family.

Green ribbon to tie it all together.

In this harsh and dangerous world, what does the

word "peace" mean to you in your daily life?

The Christmas Room.

I love all our seasons but Christmas is my favorite, next to Fall. You'll notice I referred to Christmas as a season, because in our house, it is a long experience, not just a day. We begin decorating right after Halloween and often leave everything up until early to mid February, sometimes later if winter is particularly harsh. It seems to make our winters not so dark to have twinkly lights, ribbons and garland and candles every where. I know most won't agree with our approach, but in our little house in the big woods, it's what we do and what keeps us smiling when the wind outside howls and the snow falls down, covering our Earth in white flakes and frosty pebbles. 

In our old house, we kept bins and boxes of Christmas decorations in our furnace room that doubled as a storage room. It was packed! Before we moved, we purged boxes and donated items that no longer fit with our current decor. Our new house, as roomy as it is, lacked a large storage space. We gained more closet space, an art studio, a storage room in the garage and a desk under the main stairs, but couldn't fit in a large storage room without giving up one of the above assets. However, our builder did manage to carve out a small space in the lower level, between the furnace room and the theatre room. It became affectionately known as "The Christmas Room" and I finally had a chance this week to sort it out. Until now, our decorations have been stored in bins in the garage but now that winter is moving in, it was time to move them out. The room itself had been used by our builder in the last few weeks before we moved in as a place to store the leftover flooring, some paint cans and some boxes we moved in. Not pretty at all! Here's the before:

An eclectic mess!!

Flooring, paint, boxes and our light.

Next post: the "reveal" of The Christmas Room.

How did this happen?

On November 6th, 2010, we became 1st

time grandparents with the birth of little B.

He was such a quiet little baby, inquisitive and

wise. Then he began to grow and life changed!

Now he's in kindergarten, he plays hockey,

builds Lego and impresses us every day.

How did this happen? How did he go from

a squishy little baby in my arms to a little man?

Update on My Task List.

I posted a couple of days ago with

my long "to do" list that was stressful.

Here's the update on where I'm at:

*call our builder about final construction items ~ 

He was out today with his team and got quite a

few things done. There are still some outstanding

items but now he can see the stress it's been

causing us. Almost done with this part!

*call our gate guy to give him the go ahead ~ 

He was out on Friday and we are now just

waiting for the final design. Exciting!

*visit the granite store to confirm we received

the correct granite ~ a big worry for me ~

I visited the granite store and they confirmed

with me that we did receive the right slab of

granite. Such a big relief!

*finalize the arrangements to dh's dad's

burial in the family plot for his cremains ~

My dh will be calling to set this up tomorrow.

*insure that our documentation is in place

for the upcoming licensing visit for our preschool ~

Finished this task. Now we just need licensing!

*finish up the renos at our other house ~

Quotes are coming in and we also worked at the

house on Saturday and again on Monday. Progress!

*find a suitable and long term renter for the house ~

Ad goes online sometime tomorrow. Yeah!

*move items from our garage into the storage room

so we can park in the garage for the winter ~

We worked on this on Sunday and got about 70% 

of this rather large task completed. Proud!

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

He was out today. Now we wait for the quote.

*finish up our charity documents for this year ~

Gathered up the documents today and they are in 

my backpack, ready to go to work tomorrow.

*get our banking in order now that our build is

almost completed and we can close out credit lines ~

I have to send our banker some notes tomorrow. 

*finish up the paperwork the at my bereavement

office for fall programming and counselling ~

This will be part of my workday tomorrow and

again on Thursday so it's done before the weekend.

Feeling good that so much of my worry was around

these uncompleted tasks but now I can feel hopeful!!

Late Afternoon Sun.

 It's almost the middle of Fall and with 

the time change last night, our days

are getting shorter and darker. My

favorite time of day is late afternoon.

Short shadows but warm and cozy light.

Sometimes bright and definitely a

moment in time to treasure.

What is your favorite time of day?

Are your days getting darker now?