Hygge.

A word many of you are already familiar with.

I am very intrigued and today received a note from

our local library that the copy of one of the books

on this very trendy subject is in and waiting for me. 

I'm excited to head off to the library tomorrow to

retrieve it and see if we are living a "Hygge" life.

Have you read any of the Hygge books?

If so, did you find your lifestyle fits already?

Call the Midwife.

I'm enjoying this week's episode of "Call the Midwife"

at the moment. But I'm also having a very hard time

concentrating on the show. One of our beloved midwife's

died just over a week ago. Sudden and unexpected. She

died from complications arising from a planned surgery. I

still don't know all the details but know that we are all

sad. I truly hope her dear family knows that she will be 

missed from our large birthing and parenting community.

ORC Challenge.

A quick update on the progress of our "One Room Challenge" that we started last week. You may recall in my last post that we had decided to make our half bath on our main floor more cozy and not so "echoey" by adding in wallpaper. Well the paper arrived last Saturday and we started working on this very small space right away. First we took out the vanity, the measured out the height of the wallpaper section  we wanted ~ in our case, we're only doing wallpaper on the upper half of each wall, with wainscotting on the lower half. In a few short hours, we had papered the walls and we're so happy with our choice. I've been dreaming about this since before we moved in.

Our wallpaper choice:

The next steps to complete this room include painting the vanity cabinet (I started this today), painting the lower walls, buying then installing the wood trim and the crown moulding, ordering the light fixture, reinstalling the vanity, hanging the light, hanging the mirror, hanging the towel rack and then a clean and we'll be all set to do our reveal. No pictures until then! But it's going well, so no need to worry. I can't wait to show this new space off. Hope you'll like it too. I promise it will be worth the long wait.

Rain and Ducks ....

It was fairly sunny here today, until later

this afternoon. Then the sky got dark, the

clouds moved in and the rain fell. Not a

lot, just enough to make things wet again.

Then, as quick as it started, the rain stopped

and the sun came out. The wind died down

and all was well again. After a busy day, we

decided to go to bed early. And guess what

came back? The rain, the wind and the dark

clouds. The sound of rain is so cozy feeling.

Tonight, however, the rain is being drowned

out by the sound of ducks quacking. It's very

loud and actually keeping us awake right

now. Real world problems, I know. My dh

said he much prefers the sound of ducks vs.

the sound of cars going up and down the

street. I totally agree. I will take this "noise"

any day when it comes from nature around us.

Booth Update.

We are so excited!! Our local Antique

Mall sent us a note this weekend that

a booth in the small size we have

requested would be available for us

for June 1st. Wow! We were expecting

to wait a year or more. It's not a done

deal yet as we have to go and see it but

it's a start. And it's on the main floor.

Wish us luck ....

Waiting ....

.... for our gates. I can now truly say that the building of our home was the easy part. The "after" stuff has been the challenge! We had to wait for our fridge doors, we're waiting for our builder to return to fix some small but truly needing attention deficiencies and now we are "patiently" waiting for our driveway gates to be finally installed. It was supposed to happen last week and then the snow/raincame. Now it's drying up and today was to be the day. But our gate guy's son fell and ended up in ER with a head injury, so it may not happen at all today. I feel so bad for him but am also frustrated that delay after delay is now filling the space that became empty after the fridge fiasco .... I hope that it will go in this week as we need to start our landscaping and this is holding things up a bit. Once they are in, I know we'll be happy and also feel extra secure with the added measure of locking gates. We may even take a holiday one day now that our country home will be super secure. I'll update soon, I hope, with a picture or two of our gates, with the fleurs de lis on top.

Tax Time.

In Canada, the deadline to file taxes is May 1st. Actually, it's April 30th but because this year, that day falls on a Sunday, they move it to the next business date. We filed last week and for the first time in our lives, we used a certified accountant. It was such an easy task to gather up all our documents and take them over. A week later, she called us with the results and then we went in to sign them off and they were sent. We should have our healthy refunds by next week in our bank account.

The reason we have switched to an accountant was because we ended up keeping our old house as an investment and now we are landlords. We were concerned about not doing our taxes right now that they are more complicated. And worried we'd have a big tax bill. Several people who also have rental properties have suggested to us that it's better not to report this income but we could not sleep at night if we did anything "under the table" so we sought out professional advice and are very happy with the end result. She worked her magic and not only do we not have to pay extra taxes but she got us both a healthy refund. Worth the time to visit with her and the fee to pay her to figure it all out. Way less stress. I do have the task today of reviewing my mom's return and pressing send and the same for our youngest son, both of whom asked if I could still do theirs this year. My mom I will continue to do her's for the rest of her life as it's simple. And my son is getting a lesson now on how to do his as he is the last of my kids to not yet do his own. It's time for him to finally learn and I'm happy to guide him so I can have this off my plate.

How was your Tax Season this year?

Did you have to pay or did you get a refund?

A Longer View.

Dh was having fun yesterday taking lots of

pictures around the house. He took this one

to show the fridge is done and I love the 

longer view of the shot. Relieved and happy.

It's done ....

.... after more than a year of waiting, our

fridge doors are finally on the actual fridge.

It took so long because none of the guys

working on our house could figure out how

to get the fridge to be further back in the

cupboard that was created to "house"

the whole thing. And then they couldn't

figure out how to get the doors to be

open without hitting the sides of the

cupboards. So who do you think did do

all the figuring out, in less than 5 minutes

one day? Yes, that would be me .... I

ended up having to draw it out but in the

end, they "got it" and now we can finally

enjoy a completed kitchen after a very,

very long wait. Worth all the waiting stress.

Tea Cupboard.

Aka in our house as the "tea cupboard".

When we designed our house, we truly

wanted a spot to house our collection

of tea pots and cups, accessories and

our tea stash. Most homes that have a

spot between the dining room and the

kitchen refer to this area as the "butler's

pantry" but we had a different vision. I

think it quite suits our style and the extra

space down below is perfect for all my

additional china, serving platters, linens

and little knick knacks that are seasonal.

Do you have a "butler's pantry" or "tea cupboard"?

What do you store in yours if you do have one?

Writing Room.

The same early morning light.

And a different favorite room.

Okay, so I have another favorite room. Actually 

the whole house is my favorite after living in

many different houses over my life time. This

room, tucked away in our turret, houses what we

call our "writing room" and it fits well. A quiet spot

in a very noisy house. A bright spot to grow plants.

An inspiring spot to write letters and my book. A

encouraging spot to dream and plan. Just perfect.

Early Morning.

The end of the day, with the sun streaming in through

all our windows, is a favorite time for me. But lately,

the early morning light has become a second favorite.

My dh captured this shot yesterday after he made up

our bed. I love the soft light, the quietness of the pic

and the warmth that is present. Our favorite room.

Do you love the evening light or the morning light?

Do you have a favorite room in your own home?

Final Snow ....

.... we hope! Our mild Winter produced just a bit of

snow but Spring made up for the lack of white stuff.

Last weekend in the country. I truly hope now that

this is all melted that we are officially and finally

done with Winter. We need to get our landscaping

down and our gardens planted. Fingers crossed ....

Blooming Willows.

We went for a walk last night and came

across more pussy willows at our acreage.

They are still small but budding well and

so very soft. Love finding these each year.

How is Spring coming along in your area?

Do you have sweet pussy willows to pick?

Ouch ....

 

I wake up every morning in pain and it's really starting to make me mad. I have an issue with both my hips and this means pain on waking, pain after sitting, pain when bending and pain while even sleeping. Makes for one very tired mama. I tolerate pain but this in way too intense

Heat helps so I start with a hot shower each day and a dose of ibuprofen. My dh heats up my rice bags and those help a bit as well. Once our art studio is all done and we can put our Bow Flex back together, I'll get back to using that  each day to stretch out the muscles. Our yoga classes were postponed while our teacher moves to a new location and that was really helping. So yesterday I dug out the dvd we used to use and we'll will start again tomorrow with this very valuable, comforting and healing practice. Wish me luck that this gets better very soon.

Garden Dreaming.

With the blue sky today, I'm starting to dream about

having a real garden this year. We've lived in mud

for the last year and a bit but we keep dreaming that

soon, very soon, we'll be able to start planting. Isn't

this the most amazing garden scape? I can almost

smell the scent from all those flowers. Dreaming ....

Discouraged. Hopeless.

Very happy to wake up to sunny blue skies today. After more than a week of clouds full of snow then rain, this bright sky is truly a welcome sight. 

Yesterday was one of those days when I just wanted to crawl back in to bed and pull the covers over my head and forget about the world. A few little things added up to a feeling of despair. I felt hopeless. I felt discouraged. Enraged even. Our organization that we started 20 years ago is in need of funds to expand our centre. We've been actively writing grants and seeking dollars and some of our efforts have been successful, including one quite large grant that will truly help in our progress. But one grant that we had not written for over 10 years was not successful and it really brought me down. Not because we were turned down ~ I actually didn't have any hope that we would get it because of past attempts (hence why we hadn't written one for so long). It was the off wording in our rejection letter that really took my day down. First it was not addressed to me properly (over sight, not a big deal) but then details about our centre and who were are were very incorrect and that made me so angry. They didn't listen during our long presentation to the committee because if they had, they'd understand what it is we do. We were very clear and articulate (they told us so) but to see what is written was maddening. On Monday, I'll have to inform my Board of Directors and I'm sure they'll want me to do some follow up to correct the misconceptions of what is written and obviously what they have decided we do. Wish me luck! They will not be happy at all. Discouraged for sure.

Sweet Seedy Treats.

We've been a bit busy in our kitchen lately

creating sweet little treats for our bird visitors.

There are many recipes on the 'Net so I won't

post any here. We found a super easy one and

even had our grandson help out. So far, we've

put 4 outside on a tree and the birds and I'm sure,

the squirrels have thoroughly enjoyed these sweet

treats. More will be hung sometime later this week.

Our Sweet Boy.

Every year on our sweet boy's birthday, we

celebrate the brief moments we had with him.

Losing a baby is an extremely helpless experience

and there is nothing we can do to make this better.

But for one day each year, we can share, laugh,

cry and remember his birthday. We can wish

for all the things we would have loved to

have done with him. The future we didn't get

and the past that is empty of memories. We

say his name every day and we talk about

him often but it's his birthday that makes us

smile at the same time that it makes us so

very sad. We are thankful for our family

and our caring baby loss community who

do not turn their backs on our grief and our

love for a sweet tiny boy named Bretton.

We Finally Did It ....

For a while now, we've been thinking about leasing a booth at our local Antique Mall. For the two of us, it's not so much about making money, though that would be great. It's more about an outlet for the fun we have in searching for "treasures." We love to venture out to local thrift stores and sometimes even a garage sale or two. But there really is nothing we need. Our home is filled with people, love and just the right amount of treasures that we've had fun finding and restoring or gathering. We truly do not wish to clutter our home. We love the open, airy feeling we have created. Having a booth would give us "permission" if you will to continue to hunt for treasures but not for our home ~ to fill our booth with treasures for others to buy. Smart idea for the "hunting" fun we have.

Because we love to do projects, a booth would be an experience the two of us could work on together. B loves to restore and refinish furniture. I have now perfected the art of chalk painting. I sew and have some ideas for creative items to make to sell. We have items we've collected over the years that we're ready to part with. So on the weekend, we applied for a booth at the mall. We knew the wait list is at least a year, so we've settled in for the wait. But excited that down the road, we'll have a little place to fill and restock and dream about. We've talked to a few vendors at this mall and they are impressed with the staff, the owners and the ongoing, consistent advertising and promotions to attract customers. It's always busy there and the fact the wait list is long is a good sign. Looking forward to our project!

Do you enjoy Antique Mall shopping?

Have you ever had or considered a booth?

Happy Easter.

We're not celebrating until tomorrow. But wanted

to wish all my sweet readers a beautiful day.

Hope your day was full of family, blessings, gifts

and much gratitude for all this life has to offer to all.

Old Then New.

I've been so intrigued by the post of

many bloggers who use chalk paint.

We've gathered a number of pieces of

old furniture over the years, some of

which is not in the best shape. It's

time to give "new life" to these pieces.

But first I had to learn how to make

then use real chalk paint as a medium.

My first piece to tackle: our original

dining room hutch. We ended up getting

this for free as the company messed up

and instead of picking it up, they just

refunded us our money. We didn't

argue, so it was a win~win for all.

Glass doors taken off the hutch and doors

and drawers removed from the base.

I found many recipes and the first one I

tried mixed up very nicely, so smooth.

Now it's time to paint and now the anxiety

begins to build in my little body and my mind.

First coat goes on nice and smooth.

It's not so bad. I kinda like this.

One more coat and then we'll try our

hand at the waxing. This part is going

to be tricky but we might chalk paint

an old board just to practice the process.

Have you gathered old pieces over the years?

Have you ever used chalk paint to refinish furniture?

Spring Vignette.

Today, we are in the middle of a heavy snowfall.

Of course, its the long weekend and we were

hoping to try to begin our gardening. But at least

we can be home, warm and cozy while it snows.

A couple of weeks ago, we brought out our

wicker rocker, bench and kids wicker chair.

The sun was shining, the air was warm

and the chickadees were singing sweetly.

We had fun putting together a little Spring vignette

for our veranda. Soon we'll bring out the rest of

the wicker set and start working on our plans to

create a hanging swing for one side of the veranda.

For now, we can gaze out the window at

the snow covered trees and the drifts that

have accumulated around our landscape.

It's not freezing cold so I'm sure this will

melt soon and after last years fires in our

region, the extra moisture will be welcome

by many. I'm hoping that once it melts,

we'll see a much greener world. Truly

looking forward to landscaping our little

piece of country paradise this summer. 

How is the weather for your Easter weekend?

Do you have big family plans to celebrate?

Twelve Days Update ....

You may recall I booked off time from work to use up the last of my 2016 holidays. I chose Spring Break and with the weekends in on either side plus my regular days off, I ended up with a total of 12 days to rest, think, create, sort, enjoy and project. I'm back at work now but so happy for this time and thankful for an employer who is so accommodating. I also took time away from the organization I created and continue to do contract work for. Bonus time off so I could truly rejuvenate my body and my soul. Time to see if I tackled my to do list ....

* gather all the documents for our taxes

* set up time with our accountant

* move boxes, then paint the art studio

* paint then reorganize the mud room

* paint then reorganize the laundry room

* paint then reorganize the storage room

* take bottles into the bottle depot

* revise chapters in my book project

* visit with a dear friend next week

* learn how to make a bracelet

* put wicker furniture on veranda

* organize one section of the garage

Looking at the list, you can see I didn't complete it 100%. However, lets review what did happen. Our taxes are ready to go to the accountant but she was away when I called, so now on my Monday to do list is to contact her tomorrow to set up our appointment. So pretty close.

You can see I accomplished lots of reorganizing. I actually went beyond whats on the list. We revamped our dressing room, cleaned out every drawer in the house, took in boxes and bags to the charity shop, and sorted closets. True Spring cleaning! The painting of these spaces didn't happen. However, a ton of painting did take place. Confused? Read on my dear friends.

One of my hopes was to take some time to learn how to chalk paint old furniture and accessories. Not on the list but a task that ended up taking a lot of time that I thoroughly enjoyed. I ended up painting an old hutch for our kitchen nook, two mirrors to hang over our bathroom vanity, a small chair, a plate rack, a high chair, a small vanity and matching bench, a wall shelf and a dresser shelf. On a shopping trip this past week, we picked up the wax to finish each project. I'll be posting pictures once that final step is completed. 

I'm glad I got sidetracked as the chalk painting was so much fun and I feel so excited about finally learning how to refresh old pieces. Maybe in time I'll start to gather pieces to refinish to sell. But for now, it's been fun to go through our stash and remake them over. Hoping the waxing goes well. It's the only part I'm worried about. 

I still have 4 weeks of holidays left. No plans just yet as I'll be coordinating with dh's holidays as well. We're hoping this year to get away for a little break. Since moving to the country, we haven't really felt like we needed a holiday away from here, as it feels like every day is a holiday out here! But it would be great to take some time to explore a tropical or eclectic destination. 

Do you have any upcoming holidays you're planning?

Do you like to use time off for projects or just relaxing?

LHITBW Anniversary.

Today is the 85th Anniversary since

the first edition of the "Little House

in the Big Woods" was published,

the beginning of an incredible series,

written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My

favorite books when I was growing

up, it was an honor to create my blog,

with a slight twist on the true name, to

share our lives in our little house in

the big woods! I'm happy our kids,

especially our girls loved reading my

old copies, so much so, we had to buy

a new set just to keep up. Not long ago,

we came across our editions and have

now tucked them away for our little

grand babies so they can enjoy one day. 

Did you enjoy the series as a child?

Which book was your favorite?