About Me

May 31, 2017

Our Spring Home.


Hidden behind the growth, we sit on our veranda
and take in the sun, the greenery and the blue sky.
Clouds move in, the rain falls, the earth becomes
softer and full of life. Country living at it's best.

The Forest.


This time of year it starts to really fill in
and take on a life of it's own. Beautiful.

TIny Playmates.


Our one statue in our garden, close to the
forest, is this tiny girl and boy on a seesaw.

Chic Bench.


I love this shot with my father in law's
old bench behind the growth. Sweet.

More Flowers.

 A few more before I say goodnight ....


.... pinks and whites are always my favorite ....


.... a little yellow thrown in ....


.... with a hidden bit of purple.

My Favorite.


Hope this happens again this year in our
country yard. Reminds me of a meadow.

Last Years Flowers.

No time to plant right now ....


.... so I'll take a moment to remember ....


.... some of the sweet blooms ....


.... from last year's plantings ....


.... and get excited to do the same this year.

Shed Placement.

Now that we have made the decision to
purchase the vintage wooden shed, we
have to decide where on our land it will
be placed. A very big process to endure.


This is what our original plan has been all
along. Our white picket fence around our
garden boxes, with paths to walk around
and some type of statue right in the middle.


Now we're thinking about "attaching" the shed
to this idea. Almost like it's own little garden.


We were going to place the shed near the tree line
but after our big wind storm last week, that changed.


The more we think on this new idea, the more we
get excited about putting it all together. I think it
will look so sweet to have a vintage wooden shed,
looking out over the garden, with a white picket
fence surrounding it all. Very English, very Country.
And the dh says "very practical" ~ he is very smart.

Update from Today.


My mom's hospital appointment went well but it was
so hard to hear her progression is moving quickly.
We have many decisions to make and I truly hope
we make all the right ones with her and for her.

My workshop was great. Small numbers but I was
warned it's often not a large crowd. But very well
received and we had a few laughs in between the
tough conversations around grief and loss. Thankful.

Antique Mall Update.


Not the best picture but we figured out
what we can use for displaying items in
our booth. This shelf was a dark green
but we've lightened it up with this lovely
shade. We have another unit as well and
look forward to our move in tomorrow.

The Second Half.


The second half of my day will be spent teaching a
workshop to a group of youth who are involved in
an addictions and mental health program. I love to
teach and this population really tugs at my heart. I
hope they all show up and that they leave with a
better sense of what grief is and how to heal when
it impacts their lives. One of my former practicum
students is the lead on the project ~ I'm so proud
of his accomplishments since he was in my program.
Wonderful young man with a wealth of knowledge.

What's on tap for you today?
Any exciting plans to share?

Hospital Trip.


Today is going to be a busy, crazy experience.
And a predicted high temp of 30 degrees C.
I'm off this morning to take my mom to her
quarterly assessment at the Geriatric Clinic
at one of the hospitals in the Big City. There
has been quite a change since her last visit
so I think we may be now looking at long
term care. I'm not excited about that prospect
at all, except for the fact that my worry for
my mom's wellbeing may diminish a bit. At
the moment, when I'm home, I worry if she's
safe. When I'm out, I worry if she's safe. She
has had a few scary times where know one
knew where she was. At least in a care home,
she'll have regular meals, activities to get
involved in and around the clock care. She
refuses to move in to our home (we have
tried to convince her) as she doesn't want
to live in the country. So this is the only true
alternative we all have. Wish us luck today.

May 30, 2017

Saturday Art.


With my kids grief program, we use art
as an option to talk therapy. And the best
part of my job, besides watching these
young grievers begin to heal, is the fun
I get to have making art. It's an honor to
be present and to create each Saturday.

Lost Babies.

One of our preschool moms has taken
in a tiny family of lost baby squirrels.


Just 3 weeks old, their eyes are not even
opened yet. But so cute and cuddly.


Baby siblings, snuggle up together, I'm
sure wondering where their mama is.

And our decision is ....

.... the little pink shed. It is too sweet to pass up.
And tonight, we made an offer and the family
that was selling it was so gracious and agreed
on the price that we hoped to pay. So excited.


Just coordinating the delivery by a company that
can get it on their truck, something we wouldn't
be able to do as #1, we don't have a truck and
#2, we'd need many helpers to lift and move. It
weighs 1200 lbs. Great for the stability but really
not so great for trying to get it moved. I've got a
plan to configure the inside. Now I'm dreaming
about which flowers to buy for the window boxes.

May 29, 2017

New Favorite Snack.


It's only May but wow, it's hot! We're lucky to 
have air conditioning in our house but we do
choose to use it only sparingly. Finding ways to
stay cool is key in this weather. I've discovered
a new favorite snack ~ watermelon. I've always
loved this sweet and cool treat but in the past, I
would cut it in to pizza pie shapes to hold while
munching. Then I found that by cutting all the
melon off the rind, I could get much more into
the fridge and somehow it gets sweeter with time.

Do you like sweet, juicy watermelon?
Do you have a favorite summer snack?

Art Studio Progress.

 In between other obligations over the
weekend and some illnesses creeping 
through our home, we managed to 
squeeze in Art Studio construction.


The painting is now complete, the cabinets
are all put together and now the placement.


We discovered after we put the first cabinet
together that the measurements we were so
careful to gather for the designer were very
accurate. But she did not factor in the feet
that hold up the cabinets. If we had installed
those, our cabinets would have come right up
to the bottom of the windows, not giving
any space for the countertop depth. We did
end up figuring out a way to create "boxes"
to hold the cabinets, which in the end if
much more sturdy. Took more time and a 
ton of extra measuring but so worth the time.
Now we are busy placing the items in the
units that are for our art projects. Next, our
contractor will come and install the counters
and then the flooring, trim and two more of
the lights to hang. At that point, we'll do more
of a true reveal. Almost there, so very close.

Curious Cats.


Working on our acreage has created lots of
curiosity with our daughter's cats. They love
the sun of course, but also the projects we
are working on really seem to intrigue them.

May 28, 2017

Rebirth.


An old stump beside the garden, that once
supported a tree, is now in "rebirth" mode.

Landscape Dreaming.

Our landscape artist brought over our plan
a few weeks ago for our final approval.


She worked magic with our blank slate.
And now we have ideas to fill our space.


It's likely going to take us 4 or 5 years to
finish all that we hope to create in the garden.


I'm sure it will be worth the wait.
Until then, I continue to dream ....

Blue in the Garden.


Living in the country means we have
many natural and native surprises ....


One of my favorites are these sweet little
blue flowers. Maybe a blue bell? Precious.

Free Falling ....

 .... but hopefully not too soon and not
on our sweet little cottage ....


A big wind storm in our region the other
day uprooted this tree a bit. We're very
concerned but thankfully, the last few
days have been super dry and very warm.
The Arborist is coming out tomorrow to
let us know if it needs to come down. We
are pretty sure it will need to. They'll also
then let us know when they can take it down.

Have you ever had to take down a falling tree?
Where you sad to see it go or happy it won't fall?

May 27, 2017

Which One?

We're in the beginning stages of our landscaping
and have decided we'd like to have a garden shed
to store items like the snow blower, lawnmower
and all my gardening tools. The garage is big but
we want to keep it sparse ~ it houses two cars
and will soon be the home of a workshop for my
dh. So a shed is now on our list and worked into
our frugal budget. Now we have a big decision.


This first shed is from Costco. It is made from Resin
and appears to be sturdy. We like the look and it can
be painted if we choose to match it to the color of
the house. I'd put window boxes on. The only worry
is that Resin can in time wear down. And crack and
break. Will it hold the snow load in the Winter?


Our second choice is this one that a lovely family is
selling because they are moving. It's about $300 less
than the other one but we'd have to hire a company to
deliver. So price will be roughly the same for either.
It's made of solid wood and looks brand new when
we popped over to look. Their is a large door on the
side for getting large items in. We'd paint it to match
the house. The sturdiness for snow load in the cold
Winter months would be much better. And our sweet
landscape artist did suggest we find a "quaint"  shed.

What one is more appealing for a vintage look?
Which one would you choose if you have to decide?

May 22, 2017

New Island Project.

There are so many things I love about our kitchen but 
the island is truly my favorite ~ I smile at it often. 


We've never had an island. Our kitchens have always
been so small in the past. Now that we have space, I
can't imagine how we survived trying to make meals
for a big family in such tiny spaces. We did it but it
makes me appreciate my new roominess even more.
Above is a shot of a kitchen island with two brackets.


We ended up overhanging out countertops but didn't
know what we wanted to do to trim it out, so we left
it until we could decide. I found a set of brackets, like
 the ones above that are perfect in style but are a bit 
fragile. Made out of a material that I was worried would 
break if our little guy was too rough with pushing his 
chair back in one day, so we squashed that idea. I may 
use them for a wall idea so have tucked them away. The
countertop is granite, so it's super heavy but it doesn't
need any extra support on the overhang as it's not really
a big piece on that side. What we want to do is add in
a decorative look and the picture above is our idea.


A few weeks ago while we were shopping, we stopped
in at our local "re use" shop and found two columns.


They're old and banged up but that's the look we're
going for. And if our little guy bangs them up more,
no one will be the wiser. We filled a few holes and
will sand them down. Then a few coats of creamy
ivory chalk paint and we'll be set to go. I'm looking
forward to adding this decorative touch to the island.
And happy that we can do it on a budget. Each column
was $10 (marked down from $20), we already had
the wood filler and the paint. A "not too hard" project
on a limited but wise budget. Pictures to follow soon.

Quiet Mother's Day.


Mother's Day this year was quiet, just the way
it should be. I was spoiled with brekky in bed.


And ended the day with a rainbow cake. So truly
yummy. Thoughtful gifts that were abundant, notes 
full of love from my children and shared posts 
from many dear friends. The only thing that was 
missing was my mom. She is living with dementia
at this time in her life and she was so mixed up for
the day that we all agreed to try another time. Today
we'll pick her up when we are in the big City and
bring her home for dinner and gift tonight. I truly
hope it goes well. She did call us at 6:00 a.m. this
morning asking why we hadn't picked her up yet
but at least she hasn't cancelled yet. Fingers crossed
it all goes well today. I wish I could have her back. 
I really miss my mom the way she was ....

May 13, 2017

Project Line Up.


And this is only the half of it. The rest
is all set up in the turret, waiting for
my paint brush and my attention. A
big task but one I love to tackle.  This
is a mix of old vintage pieces and very
brand new. In the end, they'll all have a
sweet look and I hope they sell well.
If not, they'll look great in our house.

Antique Mall Update.

 A small update on the status of our Antique Mall
Booth that we were recently offered from our
favorite AM. We officially signed our contract
last week and paid our deposit to seal the deal.


Our move in date is Thursday, June 1st, 2017.
Now we're busy gathering items that we have in
storage and deciding how our booth will look. I
found this sweet and very solid cabinet at one
of the local charity shops. It was $75 but then
marked down to $60. It has a light in the roof,
a mirrored back wall and a glass shelf. This will
work well for any items we'd like to showcase
that are needing to be in a secure spot. The only
thing it lacked was a lock on each door. Once
my dh agreed it was just what we need, I paid,
then drove over to the local locksmith's shop.


After a half hour of work and just over $84
in fees, we now have a lock on both doors.
Our tiny budget for a cabinet was actually
$450 so I'm thankful we saved over $300.
I love how the locksmiths were so careful to 
centre the locks so they look like they were 
meant to be there all along. Now I have to 
decide if I should leave it with the original
wood finish or chalk paint it a light color. I 
like both choices, so I'll sleep on it tonight. So
many decisions. The rest of our booth will be
open cabinets. This will be the locked one.

Updates on our preparations for our booth, the
gathering of items, the setup and the opening soon.

Finally Green.

 The snow has finally disappeared and after
weeks of mud and dust, brown and muck,
we have a green landscape once again. It's
so exciting now to wake up each morning.


And even better to be driving home and
not being able to see our home through
the green of the trees. Light filters now
amongst the leaves and they dance in
the wind as it flows across our land. I
love this time of year when everything
finally blooms and grows. Soon we'll
have dots of pinks and purples all over
once the wildflower seeds start to open.
The shoots are up and soon the blooms.

May 1, 2017

Happy May Day.

 

Spring officially starts in March each year but with our mild winter, then "Sprinter" in April, we've had a bit of a delay to the beginning of our true Spring weather. Thankfully, things are quickly turning around. The snow is now gone, the buds are starting to appear and there is mud everywhere! I think over the next few days, with very warm winter predicated (temps between 14 degrees C and 22 degrees C), everything should dry up. No rain at all this week. I see some weeds starting to sprout in the garden and my first yard clean up will be to pick those first. Not my favorite job outside but I love what it looks like once the pesky weeds are gone. And then fresh dirt to plant.

Our landscape artist is visiting this afternoon with our final design and I'm really excited to see what she has in mind for our little country home. We asked for zones for a small playground for our grand babies, a gardening zone for our raised garden boxes, the fire pit zone so it's far enough from the house and trees to be safe, a zone for my dream English garden, and a central for our Gazebo to be erected and enjoyed. I have a vision in my head and am thankful that my dh shares this vision. Now to see it on paper and start the process of putting it in to place. We're thinking it will likely take 3 to 5 years before we really feel like it's all in place. But that's okay because as much as we've been able to set aside for this big project, I really don't want to let go of those funds all in one chunk.

After dropping my daughter off at school this morning, I did a bit of shopping, then headed home to do some tidying before the landscaper arrives. I've done 2 loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher and put the breakfast dishes in, cleaned the small main floor bathroom, dusted, swept and washed the floors. I can't vacuum as my oldest dd worked a shift last night at the hospital, so she's sleeping today. Waking her up would not be a good thing! Now I'm ready for our guest and taking some time to flip through my notes and look for ideas of plants and trees we could plant that won't be eaten by the deer that love to visit our land. I want to live in harmony vs. keeping animals away but I also want to have a lovely landscape to enjoy and work on. I'll share pictures as we go. 

I hope you have a wonderful first day of May and that your gardening dreams and plans are working out well. I'm off to read some inspiring blogs and go for a little walk in the warm sun before our guest arrives.